Affiliations:

Interior Designers Institute of BC:
Associate Member

The Island Illustrator Society:
Member

Community Involvement:

Youth Means Business/ Business Youth Works:
Mentor & Review Panel Member

Big Brothers & Sisters Victoria: Big Sister

City of Victoria's Art In Public Places Committee:
Two-Term Appointment

Contributor of interior design services and fine art to charities, including The Vancouver Island Easter Seals Camp and Easter Seals House, Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association, Atomic Vaudeville theatre company and numerous non-profit organizations.

about gillian

Gillian moved to Victoria in 1979 after finishing a three-year interior design program at Ottawa's Algonquin College. Since then, her life has been poised between her two loves: a successful interior design company and a painting and illustration studio.

Ley Art and Interiors was established in 1990 and is an award-winning interior design and fine art business. Since then, Gillian has had the privilege of working on high-profile assignments, including the redesign of several public rooms at Victoria's leading private club, the prestigious Union Club, and the smart, sporty Royal Victoria Yacht Club. She also developed the Exterior Design Criteria for the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority properties. Her scope of experience includes the design and renovation of hotel interiors, residences, dental practices and offices.

But Gillian moves from large-scale projects to intimate redesigns of bathrooms, kitchens, bed and living rooms for her roster of discerning clients across North America. Her talents are beautifully showcased in the luscious and innovative living environments she creates for her devoted clients. Gillian's strong, intuitive sense of style and essence of cool precede her.

The pleasure of working on diverse, exciting projects keeps Gillian engaged in every aspect of the world of interior design. She travels to Europe and major design centres to attend industry shows, immersing herself in an array of ideas, products and colours, enabling her to bring the newest and freshest of ideas to her clients.

At Algonquin College in Ottawa, Gillian's studies included Graphic Presentation and Rendering, Architectural Drafting and Detailing, Fine Arts, Colour Theory and History of Art, all of which made natural her transition to painting. She began taking classes at the University of Victoria in 1990 with the late Fleming Jorgenson.

A passion for painting and illustration ignited immediately, and she realized that a love for the medium of painting had been simmering below the surface all her life. The creativity in her design work--in particular, her highly-praised use of colour--was further enhanced by her immersion in the world of painting. Within ten years, she was teaching watercolour courses at the University of Victoria.

Gillian's passion and zeal for design, culture, trends, history and travel all influence her work, providing an endless and exhilarating source of inspiration.