Jill Barton Art

Jill Barton was born during the Second World War. He grew up near Manchester where he started to study but left school at the age of 16 and did all sorts of odd jobs. He has always loved drawing and when he was in her 40s he joined the Manchester School of Art and graduated with a degree in illustration at the age of 48. He’s the illustrator of many books, including Rattletrap Car Grape Zoo, In the Rain with Baby Duck and The Pig in the Pond. At a young age his parents would pack their green trunk every summer; his father would take it to the station on a wheelbarrow; and the family would leave war-torn Manchester to spend a weeks with his maternal grandparents in Bedfordshire at their farmhouse. He loves gently humorous stories which are full of body language and movement. However, Barton does not write the stories that he illustrates, so he has to wait for a suitable text to come to him. He’s had some brilliant stories to work on. He says it’s very exciting when he receives a text, and he knows immediately if it’s right for him. Hairs stand up on his arms, he smiles as he reads, and visual images start chasing around in his head. Today, the artist is much sought after, just as much as the framed Jill Barton art. Barton says his life has been changed completely by illustrating children’s books. But he adds that the most exciting and satisfying thing for him is to know that many children are reading and enjoying his work.