Born in America but has lived all her life in England. Brought up in Essex she spent two years at Colchester School of Art in the 60″s, where John Nash taught plant drawing and Edward Bawden printmaking. This was followed by three years at the Central School of Art & Design, London. After several years as an “in house” designer for various publishers, she became freelance and worked on many books with her husband, the artist Martin Leman. Since 1996 Jill has been painting full time. Jill and Martin Leman live in Islington, North London
“These works are unassuming and have instant appeal. They are vibrant, fresh and uplifting . . . these paintings are delightfully honest . . . what you see is what you get ! A sound knowledge of composition and excellent drawing skills . . . Jill will be the first to agree that one has to learn the rules of drawing before being able to break them – and this she does very successfully.”
Anthony Coe, Director The John Russell Gallery,Ipswich
Solo Exhibitions
| 2004 | The John Russell Gallery, Ipswich |
| 2006 | The RONA Gallery, London W1 |
| 2007 | The John Russell Gallery, Ipswich |
| 2010 | The Russell Gallery, Putney |
Selected Group Exhibitions
| Royal Watercolour Society Open | 1996, 2002/04/05/06/07/08 |
| Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours | 1997 – 2008 inclusive |
| Singer Friedlander | 2006/07 |
| The Royal Academy Summer Show | 2009 |
| RBA Annual Exhibition | 2009/10/11 |
| The RWS Autumn and Spring Exhibitions | Since 2009 |
| The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition | 2011 |
| The Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Competition | |
| Royal Society of Portrait Painters | 2018 |
Publications
| Artist & Illustrators | How I paint flowers in watercolour / Issue 182 |
| The Artist | Objects that delight – painting in mixed media/ Issue 891 |
| Leisure Painter | Interviewed by Robin Capon / Todays Artists / Issue 469 |
Elected an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society in 2009
Elected a Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 2011
Elected RWS and Treasurer 2012
Elected President Royal Watercolour Society 2017