Jill McManners was born in Oldham, Lancashire; she did a foundation course at Southport College of Art, followed by three years at the Central School of Art and Design from where she graduated in 1977, spending the next ten years working at A & A Sculpture casting in London where she worked closely with many leading sculptors. Marriage and the demands of raising three sons happily intervened and she found it easier to work in the garden, where she was available, than her studio which required 100% concentration. The current series of watercolours and prints have dominated her working practice since 2005.