In the 1970s Jill had wanted to go to art school, but didn’t start painting till she moved to from the UK to New Zealand 25 years ago and joined a painting group as a way to meet people. Jill has entered all the Friends Art Awards and exhibited at Mana Arts and, in 2018, she exhibited with three other artists in Bottle Creek Gallery – from this very successful show, she started taking art more seriously. This has meant being represented by Mitchell Studio Gallery, Khandallah, in several group shows, until they closed. In the last few years Jill has focused on entering many competitions. Her painting friends all inspire and encourage each other to expand horizons, be braver, create a website. She was also the chair of Mana Arts for a few years.
Jill describes her work as photorealism, working from photos, but changing the image to express her own creativity – she loves to paint light and shadows, trees and buildings, capturing one moment on one day. Almost everything she paints is from Porirua like this boatshed in In a little corner of the world.
Jill says of her work: “This piece is part of a series of work exploring the boatsheds at Titahi Bay. I am paying close attention to the textures and shapes of the natural and built world and the strong shadows created by the brightness of the sun. My paintings are a reflection of the joy of a bright summer’s day and capture the greens of the native tress and flora and trace the way that buildings evolve over time, whether through new coats of paint or the effects of nature.”