Gillian Mcmillan grew up in rural England, attended teacher training college in London, taught there for some years and then emigrated to Canada. After a year's teaching in Montreal she headed west, to Vancouver. She married Alan, an archeologist, they bought the 1914 house where they still live in Port Moody and had two sons. Meanwhile Gillian was taking pottery classes, teaching pottery and selling her work at craft fairs. At age 48, she was accepted at Emily Carr College of Art & Design and earned her BFA in Ceramics. Now, twenty years after graduating she has become known for the colourful jugbirds she sells at galleries on Granville Island and at Vancouver Airport.