About

Jill is a Colchester based figurative artist who makes mixed media sculpture, elaborate rod puppets that she sees as articulated sculptures, and drawings.
Her imagery comes largely from her imagination, which is fed by her love of social history, mythology and dark folklore. The work celebrates our infinitely diverse and idiosyncratic shared humanity; our eccentricities, theatricality and need for storytelling. She explores our attitudes to mortality and ageing, our beliefs and our relationships with animals and the natural world.
The ongoing Dance Macabre series are sculptural responses to the popular medieval "Dance of Death" wall paintings, depicting an ever growing procession of motley characters on an inevitable road.
The Lovely Rats series, using that most precious of metals, gold, aims to subvert or at least challenge the deeply rooted antipathy to a species that humans have had a close and often uneasy relationship with down the centuries. They are an elegy to many departed companions.
She has recently been creating intricate hybrid mixed media sculptures, allowing the process to be as intuitive and experimental as possible, mixing and matching ceramic forms with different metals and found objects. Sometimes the meaning of a piece becomes apparent only towards the end of the creative process.

To visit her commercial portfolio click here.

Exhibitions

2005:
Eastern Open (Doric Arts Prize)

2006:
Doric Arts, Holt
Digby Gallery, Colchester (with 12PM)

2007:
Essex Open- Beechcroft Gallery, Westcliffe on Sea ('Best Work in Show')
Aldeburgh Gallery (with 12PM)

2008:
Old Fire Engine Gallery, Ely (with 12PM)
Grapevine, Norwich (with 12PM)
Hintlesham Hall (with 12PM)

2009:
Aldeburgh Gallery (with 12PM)

2010:
Jessica Muir Gallery (with 12PM)
Gallery 47 ,Sudbury (with 12PM)
Highgate Contemporary, London (with 12PM)
Brighton Art Fair

2011:
Aldeburgh Gallery (with 12PM)
Highgate Contemporary (with 12PM)
Digby Gallery (with 12PM)
Brighton Art Fair

2012:
Buckenham Gallery,Southwold
Church St Gallery Saffron Walden (with 12PM)
Greenwich Printmakers (with 12PM)
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2013:
12PM print exhibitions at The Digby and Buckenham Gallery, Southwold
ING 'Discerning Eye' at Mall Galleries

2014:
12PM print exhibitions at UCL and Digby Gallery,Colchester

2015:
Sentinel Gallery, Wivenoe. 2 person show
RWA Annual , Bristol
ING 'Discerning Eye' at Mall Galleries (sculpture award)

2016:
'Dark Matters' at The Gallery Norfolk ,Norwich
'Essex Women Artists' at Hayletts Gallery, Maldon
Sentinel Gallery, Wivenoe

2017:
Society of Women Artists Annual show at Mall Galleries
ING 'Discerning Eye' at Mall Galleries, Founders Purchase Prize for Danse Macabre 2
Imagine Gallery, Long Melford

2018:
Happenstance Gallery, Salon de Refusees
Society of Women Artists, Mall Galleries

2019:
Happenstance Gallery, Salon de Refusees
Society of Women Artists, Mall Galleries
Chester Art Fair

2020:
Royal Society British Artists Annual Open, Mall Galleries
Talented Art Fair

2021:
Accepted as a member of ArtCan artists organisation
Visual Art Association 2021 Online exhibition ( Rotunda puppet)
Royal society British Artists at Mall Galleries
London Biennale, Chelsea Old Town Hall
Hollybush finalist in Sculpture group
Artists Lounge ' In The History ' First Prize with Danse Macabre2.. Shown at King House Gallery, Stratford on Avon
VAO exhibition Sculpture Orize
Royal Society British Artists Open, Mall Galleries
Hollybush finalist
London Biennale
Artists Lounge 'In The History' King House Gallery ..prizewinner

2022:
ArtCan sculpture exhibition "Artivism "
'Legacy' group exhibition at the Crypt Gallery , London
'Power of Pencil' ArtCan drawing exhibition
Bath Society of Artists Annual Open
Art Maze OxoTower
Europartfair Amsterdam
Group exhibition at Gallery 42, Manningtree, Essex

2023:
Group show at the Weiss Gallery, London
ArtCan East group bursary prize show at the Leper Chapel, Cambridge
London Biennale
Guest artist at Sculture Gallery , Leeds
'Hagitude' Gallery 54, London
'Shadowplay' group exhibition, Espacio Gallery, London
Society Women Artists Open , Mall Galleries
RWA Annual Open, Bristol