Artist Gillian Burfield was born in the United Kingdom and moved to rural New Zealand as a teenager. Her love of art began in Sussex, England at the age of eight, inspired by the creative atmosphere of her grandfather’s studio and the quiet magic of his garden. It was there she first witnessed the emotional power paintings could hold.
After raising a family in New Zealand, Gillian returned to study art as an adult student before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in 1998. She has continued to develop her artistic practice throughout her career, most recently graduating from the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program in 2025.
Now working as a full-time artist, Gillian creates luminous mixed media paintings inspired by nature, memory, symbolism and the spaces where reality and imagination meet.
Gillian is currently working on a solo exhibition in 2026 and encouraging other artists to develop their voice and follow their dreams. Gillian is a member of the bird sanctuary Zealandia Te Mara a Tane and 10 percent of proceeds from the sale of her art will go to support the protection of endangered wildlife . To quote Gillian “ Our dreams are only limited by our imagination.”