Jill Cairns grew up in the Sutherland Shire, surrounded by coastline and national parks - a landscape that sparked her lifelong love of nature and the visual arts. She went on to earn a Diploma in Graphic Design from the National Art School and a Diploma of Education from Sydney Teacher’s College. Jill taught art in Sydney and later in Port Macquarie, where she continued her career until retiring in 2009.

Retirement marked the beginning of a new creative chapter. Jill built her own studio, began entering competitions, and started teaching adult art classes. Now an award-winning professional artist, she is the founder of the Innes Artists group and has held four solo exhibitions as well as participating in numerous group shows.

The Australian landscape, with its shifting light and elemental beauty, remains central to Jill’s practice. She is especially drawn to waterways, captivated by their reflective surfaces, layered depths, and ever-changing forms. Working primarily in oil, pastel, and charcoal, Jill constantly explores new techniques to convey movement, texture, and luminosity in her work.

Each of her pieces offers a quiet meditation on the grace and resilience of the natural world. Through expressive mark-making and a keen sensitivity to light and form, Jill invites viewers to immerse themselves in spaces that are both serene and dynamic - artworks that aim to excite the senses and honour the essence of the landscape.

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