Scottish figurative sculptor, working mainly in bronze, she was born in Edinburgh but grew up on a farm in the Carse of Gowrie, near Perth. After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art, she travelled to Italy to learn marble carving, and to work with bronze among the artisans of the workshops and studios at Pietrasanta, near Carrara. Major public commissions have included a bronze espalier tree at the entrance to the Clore Learning Centre, Hampton Court, London. Among her recent works is Widows and Bairns, a series of four linked memorials, in Cove, St Abbs, Eyemouth and Burnmouth on the Berwickshire coast, commemorating the fishing disaster of 14 October 1881. The memorials, the last of which was completed in the summer of 2016, replicate the exact number of widows and children affected by the death of the 189 men who were drowned, thus conveying at a glance the impact of the tragedy on the local community. Jill Watson currently divides her time between studios in Edinburgh and Italy.
Source: information provided by the artist.
Ray McKenzie 2018