Jilli graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Diploma of Education (visual arts) in 1989. She majored in painting, and her first love is three dimensional work, so she finds painting 'in the round' with the Deepings Dolls a real pleasure. She first began painting the Deepings Dolls while still doing her University studies and has been working with them, on and off, ever since, in between the big things of life such as travel and motherhood. She has also been a teacher of art and theatre skills, has worked with deaf children, and youth theatre, including clowning.

Originally hailing from England, with a wealth of childhood memories of village life from the 1940s, and a love of social history, she loves recreating these characters from past ages, including occupations, sports, and the finery of ladies and gentlemen. She especially likes painting characters holding Australian animals and the famous navigators who made their way to Australia.

Having previously worked in theatre, costume has always been a fascinating subject for her. She has amassed an extensive library of costume images through the ages, both English and Australian, and enjoys the weekly challenges of finding the correct detail for the accessories that are necessary for the many orders that come to her studio.

Jilli has also designed a Deepings Doll chess set of Shakespeare's famous tragedy plays Hamlet and Macbeth, and a set of Henry VIII with his six wives which depict their official portrait gowns.

Her other art practice includes sculptural paper casting including masks, dragons and coffee tables.

She has two ancient cats, a bog garden, a lovely new granddaughter, and grows historic roses and fruit trees. Her favourite sport is weight training, and tripping over a stray dumbbell in the studio is not unusual.

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