Growing up on a sheep farm in East Gippsland gave Gillian her strong connection to land and nature, and she continues to be inspired by her environment, now working and residing on the Mornington Peninsula. Studying painting at RMIT from1976 to 1980 brought her attention to an urban artistic haven, where she was inspired by Australian and American abstract expressionism. She began to look at ways to layer paint and colors​ and develop a language of symbols of a gestural nature that gave her work energy, form, and strength. After completing her post-graduate studies in painting she was awarded the RMIT Travelling Scholarship, where she was able to tour major European galleries and see paintings she had only ever seen in art books. Artists such as Matisse, Van Gogh and Picasso came to her attention. On her return, she moved from inner-city Melbourne to suburban Ivanhoe continuing to exhibit in many group shows, producing semi-abstract expressionist subjects in landscapes, colorful and rambling flower paintings and striking still-life paintings, loving a new found domestic environment. In 1990 Gillian and family moved to Red Hill, where she began painting the beautiful vistas of the Mornington Peninsula. She was soon also inspired by the abundance of produce grown in the area, and for a period concentrated on still life subjects using watercolors, oils, and acrylics. Over time she established herself as a respected community artist, exhibiting her work widely, running a local gallery and shop and completing numerous commissions- private pieces, stationery, signage, prints, and portraits. She won many local awards during this time. Gillian continues to experiment with new concepts, forms, and materials. She paints with an intuitive response on paper and canvas allowing new images to arise usually through a series of lines and layers. " It is always an exploratory process". She loves diversity and explores many mediums and subjects. Her work is collected both locally and internationally. She enjoys the challenge of expressing the inner through the outer, and hopefully discovering beauty in the process.