Like so many of us, Jill has recently been reflecting on how life has changed over the course of this year. Although the past months have been full of personal challenges, they have also been productive. Like many creative people, Jill has found ways to use this time to make new work, and experiment with plenty of exciting, new ideas. Jill’s beautiful, eclectic north London home that she shares with her husband John has been an artistic haven during this time. It is filled with objects and art that inspire her, as well as her studio that looks out onto a luscious verdant garden.
Having more time to spend at home has meant more time living with her own and others’ art, with this close proximity providing time for inspiration and reflection. Jill is always inspired by her South African roots, illustrated by her collection of African art and objects sitting side by side with her own works.
These pieces can be commissioned in a range of colours and sizes in singles, or groups, in combinations as limitless as your imagination.
Recently, Jill has been working on some beautifully textured and patinated pieces all cast at the Morris Singer Foundry. New works include smaller scale female figures with a ridged surface. The lines echo the muscular anatomy of the human body, in contrast to the lithe, subtly curved female forms. She has also been experimenting with different coloured bronzes, from white to a deep gold. Alone or in groups, these pieces are elegant, taking inspiration from the female form, and the geometric patterns often found in African art and decoration. They celebrate a beauty to be found in strength, and offer a hopeful, optimistic vision for the future.
Jill’s work has also taken a new direction using a sophisticated grey finish on bronze, adding an understated elegance to her forms, evocative of tumbled stones and weathered rocks. Bronze is prized for its colour and durability, but it is in fact a very versatile medium, and offers a diverse range of surfaces and textures that will stand the test of time. These grey pieces are an exciting, modern take on an ancient material.
These tantalising gourds can be purchased in a variety of forms, groupings and colours. Use your imagination to find the perfect combination.
Another recent experiment is Fruit of Life. Jill has been working on these fabulous gourds from bronze and using colour to create organic still life sculptures inspired by the Old Masters to create playful sculptures that are full of autumnal abundance that capture nature at its finest as the seasons shift.
Working from home has not inhibited Jill’s use of scale, and these impressive male and female figures with a straight and curved ridged pattern have been created recently. They have a real impact in a domestic space, with an impressive stature that can create a sophisticated focal point in any room.
Like nature, creativity always finds a way to thrive; even in these most uncertain times art will endure, as long as there is space for inspiration and ideas. Jill’s artistic energy has benefitted from this quieter period, and she is excited to share even more over the coming months of her exciting journey into new creative territories.