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2024-10-01 Jill Hobbs Environmental Portrait (340)LR_edited_edited.jpg

"My passion is to create art that captures the people you love, animals you hold dear and places that you cherish."

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Since discovering a passion for painting during the pandemic, when I was 7 months pregnant, I've been  dedicated to becoming a professional Artist. I picked up the paint brush and fell in love and I haven't stopped since! I'm a proud Scottish lass from a small town on the east coast of Scotland but have lived in Berkshire for over a decade, moving here as a young Accident and Emergency Nurse. I have taught myself to paint whilst working as a nurse and being a busy mum to our two wonderful boys who are my world and inspiration for many of my works. I gave up my 23 year career in healthcare in February 2023 to see if I could make a go of it and it's been a rather unexpected journey so far!

I took part in the BAFTA nominated series 2 of 'Make it at Market' on BBC1 (episode 8 on BBC iPlayer) where I was mentored by the phenomenal Sharon Walters. She taught me so much in such a short space of time and she did it in a way that upheld the integrity of my work. More so, she taught me to paint from the gut and that it isn't all about making money, this has helped to shape my business into something I'm even more passionate about and proud of.

This is a lifelong journey for me and I will carry on developing my work by exploring portraiture, landscapes and the use of vibrant colour in acrylics and oils to capture all that we hold most dear, even if that involves painting the odd chicken (I love chickens and have several!). I am particularly drawn to people and portraiture and I have had the good fortune to travel to some amazing countries. We travelled around Sri Lanka and Africa for several months before children, so I am very much inspired by other cultures, peoples' stories and the true beauty of the wider world we live in. I'm also a bit of a film geek so you are quite likely to come across several of my character portraits as you scroll through my site. I am now in my third year of taking part in 'Open studios' for West Berks and North Hants and have completed over 100 commissions for people from all over the UK, Ireland and the States.

Art is a wonderful tool to reconnect communities and help people to cope with the struggles of the fast paced world we now find ourselves in. I can often be found holding workshops within my studio or at venues in my local area and will be working towards a much larger goal over the next few years (with the help of some others) to create something really special for anyone who needs it in a space that will inspire creation at all levels... watch this space for more news and please get in touch if you'd like to get involved. I recently gave the keynote speech about 'following your dreams, no matter when', at the 2023 West Berks Learners Achievement Awards and have been busy taking part in some exciting exhibitions over the last year.

For any up to date info on exhibitions, galleries or events please either check out the "news" page or just follow me on my socials.

Please feel free to get in touch if you want to know anything about my work, my locally run workshops, charity work or to discuss a potential commission. You can also have a look at my shop if you wish to buy any original artwork or limited edition prints.

Thanks for visiting

Jill x

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