Hampshire artist Jill Iliffe aims for a connection between viewer and artist by creating highly skilful and detailed paintings and drawings that do not give everything to allow the viewer to create the rest of the story of the picture in their mind’s eye. The simple backgrounds, cropping and blank areas focus the eye on the main subject. Every part of her work is a clue which has been carefully considered, it is for the viewer to read the clues and add their own interpretation from their own history and memories.
Working in a traditional manner, building her work slowly in layers she is influenced by both contemporary artists and Old Masters. Jill’s still life pieces are a calm contemplation for her to paint and she hopes for the viewer to enjoy. They are moments of quiet elegant domesticity.
Jill’s drawings are a culmination of ideas of how we read images, showing that we do not need everything in order to understand what is there. We can read moments and images quickly, however these drawings, slowly and meticulously built up are worth the contemplation.
Jill Iliffe studied at Wimbledon School of Art, achieving an BA in Fine Art and an MA in Drawing in 2009. In 2007 she was awarded a national award for her drawing to fund her MA. In 2018 she resigned her job in senior education management to finally become a full-time artist. In 2019 she was included in the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter exhibition, sold a piece to the National Heritage Fund and had a residency and solo exhibition. In 2020 Jill took part in Sky Portrait Artist. Jill has exhibited widely including in museums and public gallery spaces and she is an elected member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art.
