Jilly Ballantyne

Jillly Ballantyne is a contemporary painter. Born in Scotland in 1967, she graduated from Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. For eighteen years Jilly has lived on the Cote d'Azur, France, where she led a career as a painter and educator, hosting holiday painting courses. During her French sojourn, she has worked as an artist in residence in Matisse's former studio, and was featured on BBC Four's Masters Series on Matisse. A couple of years ago, Jilly has returned to her childhood home, Fife. She currently lives and works in Cellardyke in East Neuk. 

Jilly's 'roomscapes' are cosy interior nooks that overlook the spectacular views onto the turquoise waters of the French Riviera. In her works, Jilly focuses on the balance of the interior and the exterior, light and shading. Each interior is carefully thought through, with selected furniture or decorative items featured, rendering each composition unique. Each interior is delicately decorated with fresh flowers in vases and seashells. Each work brims with sunlight, emanating a warm atmosphere of the environment. However, since moving back to Fife and walking the coastal path during lockdown, landscape and seascape paintings became more prevalent in Jilly's works.