Through the layered negotiation of the canvas, Lewis’s imagery reveals fragmentary, dream-like, moments that translate into a sense of the familiar. The viewer is embroiled in a pictorial journey, at once candidly childlike and extraordinarily sophisticated. Jill Lewis skillfully weaves snippets of everyday life into visual tapestries of mythological animals and fanciful objects. The result is a substantial body of work which playfully narrates life's elusive and private moments on canvas. Lewis delves into ancient cultures borrowing their symbols, sacred objects and totems, adding her unique creatures. A painterly approach, using a minimal palette of rich earthy hues, embodies the primitive world her figures so comfortably inhabit. Lewis reflects on the stepping-stones that resulted in her burgeoning artistic career - Four years at RMIT with teachers including Andrew Sibley, Jan Senbergs, James Meldrum and Rick Amor imbued a requirement for some measure of toughness within the work... I learnt that superficial decoration can be pleasing, but that paintings need strong bones to succeed. Exhibiting at Roar Studios in 1984 exposed me to the Roar artists... exhilarating and stimulating... Later, having children.. watching them draw and paint... gave me a love and appreciation of the spontaneous gesture. Their intuitive free spirited drawings made my own work feel labored and restrictive, and inspired a new approach." Lewis's formative years of keen observation and self-discovery shaped nearly 20 years of exhibiting as well as major commissions in Queensland and Melbourne. Lewis has painted full time to satisfy demand for her unique work having exhibited at Libby Edwards Galleries in all four galleries since 1998. Her work is represented in collections worldwide and throughout Australia.