Jill Perrott - Artist - Biography, history

Jill Perrott's professional journey as an artist started in the early nineties when her three children had flapped their wings and mostly flown the nest. Having studied art at Elam in the sixties, Jill re-energized her artistic abilities at Art Station workshops and Elam Summer schools and began exhibiting locally with her first “real” show at Titirangi's Lopdell House Community gallery in 1997. At this stage her paintings concentrated on mainly Auckland's West coast beaches where the Perrotts spent a lot of leisure time tramping the coastline and staying at their Piha bach. Jill has always been pre-occupied with the unique character of the west coast with it's rugged bluffs, blackish bush and white light.

Since 1997 Jill has won many awards and she has exhibited widely throughout New Zealand, she has also traveled extensively throughout the country, photographing the landscape for potential paintings.

Jill's first show at the Parnell Gallery Auckland, was in 2002 and she has exhibited there ever since. In 2003 Jill had her first solo show in the south island at the Little River Gallery, Christchurch, and again, she has exhibited there ever since. She is now represented in galleries in Matakana, Auckland, Ahiriri – Napier, Piha, Christchurch and Dunedin.

In 2006 Jill featured in the book “New Zealand's Favourite Artists”. Her work has also appeared in calendars and coloured plates for books. Jill works from her studio in Titirangi Auckland, overlooking the Manukau Harbour. Over the years Jill has experimented with textures and resins in her work and as a result her canvases have an interesting mix of surfaces that gives the “feel” of the landscape.