Jill Leman PRWS RBA

Jill was born in 1946 in the United States, before moving with her family to England in the 1950’s. Brought up in Essex, she attended Colchester School of Art in the 60″s, where John Nash taught plant drawing and Edward Bawden printmaking. She then went on to study for three years at the Central School of Art & Design in London. After several years as an “in house” designer for various publishers, she became freelance and worked on many books with her husband Martin Leman on the design/research. Since 1996, Jill has focused on painting and her first exhibition was in St-Ives.

She then went on to show widely in many mixed exhibitions in London and the UK including the RA Summer Exhibition and the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. She has also had four solo shows in London and Ipswich. She is the first woman to be President of the Royal Watercolour Society. Working from her studio in Islington, North London, her subjects are mainly flowers and still life – sometimes cats, buildings and portraits. There is a fresh and vibrant feel to Jill’s work and along with her understanding of drawing, perspective and use of “sharp clean” colours, we are given wonderfully uplifting results.

“Jill’s starting point for a painting begins with colour – this could be flowers, textiles, decorative china or some domestic object. She believes that drawing is very important in understanding and knowing your subject and she needs the basic structure to be in the work – then the painting can be set free to take on its own life. Jill’s work is essentially domestic – her paintings are for people to hang on their walls and enjoy.”