Jill Trenholm

Now local Sedona, Arizona artist Jill Trenholm was born in Sheridan, Wyoming. Her father worked for the forest service and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. Jill grew up in the intermountain west, where her deep love and appreciation of nature took hold. Today, Jill loves to hike and photograph flora and fauna to recreate the textures and colors she experiences.

She studied children’s book illustration at Utah State University. She moved to New York for 6 months before settling in Los Angeles, California for 18 years. During her time in LA, she began her artistic freelance career as a toy painter for companies such as Disney and Applause where she painted the original sculptures of toys before they were sent off to be reproduced. Once Jill’s skill in sculptured collectibles and giftware design was recognized, she became the sought out professional for clients looking for “whimsical” and “cute” products.  She was one of the top giftware designers for Teleflora for over two decades.

Jill’s talent caught the attention of the international giftware company Maruri for whom Jill created and sculpted the collectible figurine series, In A Nutshell, a 27 piece series of small hinged nuts which open to reveal a world of tiny animals in everyday situations. The In A Nutshell series led Jill to appear as a guest artist at many national and international giftware shows as well as being a featured artist on the Q.V.C. home shopping network. Her sculpture work has expanded into a collectible series of sculptures and children’s books called Jirina’s Journey. Her “Sea Spirits” and “Forest Spirits” can be found in coastal galleries in the Pacific Northwest.

When she moved to Arizona, Jill soon met master bronze sculptor John Soderberg and began to take classes from him. Jill fell in love with the bronze creation process and soon became John’s protégé. Before his death, John requested her to reproduce his “Merlin” sculpture in a small-scale size. Today, Jill continues John’s legacy by teaching his methods to prospective new bronze artists. Her studio is located in Sedona, Arizona.

Jill’s latest work is fine art sculpture for bronze centering around the magic of the natural world. Her unique style combines the human figure with nature and depicts the subject in an original way. Her wonderful new bronze collection is featured here at Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art.