Female veterans in business: Gillian Jones
Gillian Jones
Gillian Jones Designs
www.gillianjonesdesigns.com
gillian@gillianjonesdesigns.com
02392 984415
I run my military art business from the rather delightful surroundings of Stansted Park in West Sussex. We took the plunge to get our own premises after many years of working out of spare rooms and garages, and now offer bespoke framing as well as military themed artwork.
My background lies in the world of engineering. I studied manufacturing engineering at Nottingham Engineering and went on to pursue a PhD. Ironically, after years working in large organisations, the subject of my PhD, “The introduction of new products in small manufacturing companies”, now applies to what I do every day.
Having worked for Cyanamid, Rolls-Royce Aerospace and IBM UK Laboratories I became disillusioned with corporate life and ran away to sea! Well, I joined the Royal Navy as an Engineering & Training Management Officer. I had a brilliant, if rather brief, career because I took the decision to leave on having my first son.
Another son, and a career break, later, I aspired to become a secondary school teacher. Life, however, had other plans, and threw some health challenges my way. It was quickly apparent that I was not going to be able to teach which was definitely a blow.
I have always had a fondness for art, and have been drawing and painting since I was very young. My favourite subject as a teenager was watercolours of military uniforms! A moment of inspiration, during a bout of insomnia, led to the creation of my first ship overlaid with the Union Flag and this is now the backbone of my style.
10 years down the line I have over 300 picture designs and my artwork hangs in palaces, embassies, military bases, ships and downstairs loos worldwide. I am now looking to expand the wholesale side of the business and am gradually increasing stockists. I still have health issues which mean I have to pace myself and this has tempered the growth of the business, but gradual growth isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
I now work in my beautiful studio in an 18th Century former coach house with my lovely business partner, Emma, and feel rather proud of how far I have come. It has taken quite a lot of tenacity to get here so it makes it all the more pleasurable.
