A June 2025 update from Jill:

You may have noticed the lack of happenings on my website, and I would like to share an update with you all! I’ve been writing a book titled 'The Clay Mermaid'. The book is about my adventures of foraging for wild clay by bicycle, on foot, swimming, canoeing, by sail, but most often in our old campervan. The journeys begin in my beloved River Itchen and take me as far as Australia.

The book describes the process of finding and digging the clay, the geology of the land, getting to know the local communities and how I have changed personally throughout my journey. It delves into the positive effect of nature on our physical and mental health and how we can teach children how to have fun with this wonderful natural material that is all around us.

The second part of the book will describe where to look for clay, the different types of clay that you might find, how to process and ideas for creating works of art. The projects encourage us to both bond with each other and to spend time in solitude. I will be posting extracts from the book along with photographs on Instagram and Facebook. I hope that you enjoy my journey and that you may be inspired to have a wild clay journey of your own!

Stay tuned for more information to come…

About Jill

I am an artist & workshop teacher that lives in Winchester in the south of the UK. I create illustrated porcelain homeware & jewellery, alongside leading classes and workshops that explore the interlinking fields of creativity, well-being, & health.

Send me an email

My work is inspired by my love of nature, human connection, wild swimming, & travelling. I have been practising ceramics for 30 years and am largely self-taught through experimentation. As a result, I have designed many of the techniques used in my bespoke work. If you want formal training then my approach might not be for you!

However, if you would like to learn, I can teach some of the things that I have learned through developing my style, as well as making sure that you have fun and explore yourself! Through teaching, I have seen the capacity that art has to improve and shape lives and hope that by you reading this, we can connect further. Happy making!

My Inspiration

Like many artists, I take inspiration from the world around me. Here are some of my key influences, all of which fuel my curiosity and creativity:

People & relationships
Wilderness, walking in nature & wild swimming
Allotment life & growing food
Travel
Punk, David Bowie & live music
Humour & quiet
Wellbeing, health & spirituality

Testimonials

‘Jill has visited our educational setting twice in recent years. Her teaching skills show practical teaching approaches by transferring the knowledge and understanding of her subject. She uses suitable strategies for our cohort of students who sometimes find it challenging to use their fine motor skills.’

Sam Linaker, Teacher at Rowhill School in Aldershot

‘Jill continues to deliver really high-quality workshops catering for different needs of the young people which create a calm, inclusive, and friendly environment, rich in engagement and everyone makes something to be proud of.’

Cat Cooke, Hampshire Cultural Trust

‘Just to thank you for such a lovely day at your studio as part of out school partnership with Hampshire Cultural Trust. It was great to learn some new skills and I really appreciated your kind and gentle approach. Your studio is a truly inspirational place to be along with the cake it couldn’t get better!! I hope our paths cross again in the near future.’