Born in Northern Ireland, brought up in Dunedin, and now a long-term resident of Lyttelton, Juliet Neill has been involved in the creative arts all her life.  She has been a performer, a teacher of drama and a puppeteer, amongst other things.

As a puppeteer, Juliet made her own puppets for performance, as well as making caricature puppets of real people on commission.  She can still be commissioned to do this.Juliet used to be involved in making life-sized and giant puppets as well as masks for the Lyttelton Festivals of Lights. Having used papier maché as a medium, it was then a small step to creating sculptures, which she still makes. From there it was just a small step to painting, often incorporating 3D mediums into her works.She has also illustrated a children’s book for her brother, and written and illustrated one of her own.

Juliet has always been passionate about environmental and social justice issues, and often incorporates these themes into her works, as well as creating art  and performances work for demonstrations and satirical purposes.   She believes that the creative arts can often move people who might otherwise be reluctant to wade through the science.