Interview with Jilly Frances (JF) by Isha Sharma (IS) about her journey, passion and upcoming exhibition on Mother’s Day
IS: What does art and relevance mean to you?
JF: Art is a way of seeing, paying attention, and being in the world. You notice things differently with your whole being. And once you start noticing, you can’t unnotice. It includes everything. Art has saved me in all my hard times. It is my romance with a world that can often seem less romantic.
Making art means looking carefully, lovingly, and being a very good student of another artists or a subject matter and letting yourself become a little bit infatuated by them. We all have a thing that we turn to when the going gets tough. For me, it is always turning to creating, I will write a poem or make a painting. It is a sort of medicine amidst the backdrop of chaos.
IS: Your upcoming exhibition, Like a Mirror, Like a Mother, Like a Memory, intersects with Mother’s Day. What was the idea behind that?
JF: The exhibition with the Sky, Rain, and Ground series explore three themes of surrender: letting go, paying attention, and the passing of time. I think a mother knows more about them than anyone else. It also addresses what it means to be a person on planet Earth.
IS: What is your main aim to express in this exhibition that visitors couldn’t miss?
JF: I’ve learned that there’s no sense in fabricating a feeling or hoping people take a specific thing away. I still hope that when visitors enter this exhibition, they connect with at least one of these pieces because making things with our hands, and collaborating with nature is becoming rare these days when the world becoming increasingly technological and digital. I hope it helps them revisit a memory that they want to hold into, the space, time, and emotional texture and have a feeling.
Jilly Francis in front of her Rain series in her studio
IS: You are a poet, artist, ink maker, and painter. How do you navigate between these different roles?
JF: I view it all as a whole, and that’s why I’m really excited about the exhibition. I won’t say why, how, but you’ll see poetry interwoven with the artwork throughout the exhibition. For me, they’re all part of one poem. Each series are like a different language, trying to say the same story. They are all connected.
IS: What advice would you like to give to young artists?
JF: Consistency. It is not about success. Consistency means to keep doing your art. When times get hard, stay determined, as opposed to the idea that you could always stay passionate, because I think passion comes and goes. Stay curious and open minded. That’s where inspiration comes from.
Jilly Francis, Skies, grouping of four pieces
IS: What is your message to mothers who are balancing both homes and careers? How should they prioritize?
JF: Being a mother and an artist are almost identical things. You are a vessel and you must take care of that vessel. It’s everything. I have a poem about this and the main part of it is about knowing when to let go. When I say take care of that vessel, I mean do things that make you happy.
There are many invisible acts of care. My message for artists or mothers is to find the profound within the ordinary.
Jilly Frances, Year of Skies
Text and photo: Isha Sharma
*Exhibition information: Jilly Frances, Like a Mirror, Like a Mother, Like a Memory, May 8 – 10, 2026, Kikospace, 2104 Dundas St W, Toronto. Gallery hours: Fri 12 – 3pm, Sat & Sun 10am – 3pm.