Jenny Watson was born in Melbourne in 1951 and she lives and works in Sanford, Queensland. Her formative years as an artist were in the 1970s in Melbourne and London. In 1972, she completed a Diploma of Painting at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, Melbourne. In 1973, she completed a Diploma of Education at the State College of Victoria. She had her first solo show in 1973.
Early influences on her practice include conceptual art, feminism and the punk scene in London and Melbourne. Uniquely, her work takes these influences into the domain of figurative painting. She has developed her own visual language that frequently combines text with images. She currently mentors at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.