Words by Libbie Summers
Photography by Chia Chong
Styling by Libbie Summers, Katherine Sandoz, Brenda Anderson and Brooke Atwood
Jillian Played by Kelly Adams Keller
BACKSTORY: Geoffrey doesn’t like anyone to know the actual spelling of his name, and prefers the less bourgeois “Jeff” (his pedigree determined years ago in a wealthy Chicago suburb). Jeff’s great grandfather, grandfather and father all held seats on the Chicago Board of Exchange and were not pleased when he decided to apply to Agriculture School at The University of Illinois (a state school). Jillian (Jeff’s young wife) studied art at a lesser known art school in the Mid-West where she met Jeff at a summer party in Saugatuck, MI. When everyone else was wearing notable designers, Jillian arrived at the party wearing a simple white cotton sheath with a small noticeable tear at the hem. A thin lilac colored velvet ribbon tied back her golden hair. Jillian’s only accessories were a the gold locket that hung around her neck and the well-worn crocodile handbag she carried –the prized possession of her late grandmother. After a whirlwind courtship and simple ceremony Jeff and Jillian moved to the South where the last of Jeff’s trust fund bought them a deteriorating boutique farm and an address closer to a better art school. This is their second season of corn as well as their second year of marriage. They take pleasure in the simple beauty they find around their farm as well as the beauty in the art that each creates. Jillian loves gingham aprons, tap dancing and head strong turtles. Her favorite color is lilac –like the velvet ribbon that once tied back her hair. Jeff loves the beauty found in each kernnel of corn he grows on the farm and the beauty he sees in Jillian.
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Join us this week as we weave our way through the scenes of Jillian and Jeff’s life.
