Hand-Painted Chicken Broth Recipe Card

Jillian Godsil is a writer, journalist and artist based in Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Her work brings together colour, storytelling and an interest in women’s lives, particularly the expectations that shape their place in the home and the wider world.

Her Women in the Kitchen collection uses paint and mixed media on pages from old recipes. Instructions for soups and broths remain visible beneath colourful figures, flowers and decorative borders. The familiar language of the kitchen becomes part of the picture, placing women alongside the tasks and traditions so often associated with them.

The paintings invite questions about who does the work, whose time is valued and how much of domestic life is taken for granted. Their bright colours and playful figures leave room for humour as well as reflection. Each piece can be enjoyed individually or displayed with others from the collection.

Godsil’s own life has included considerable upheaval and reinvention. Following divorce and the loss of her home, she campaigned to change Irish law and stood in the 2014 European elections. More recently, she underwent treatment for breast cancer and is now cancer free.

Writing remains central to her life. She is a journalist, radio presenter and the author of Running Out of Road. Painting offers another way to explore stories, using colour, texture and the words already present on the page.

This shop offers reproductions of her artwork, with a choice of sizes and finishes. Explore the collection to find a piece for your own home or a gift for someone else.