While North Carolina, USA based artist Alice Peschl Swain’s (artistically penned as AP Swain) artistic interest began in photography over 20 years ago, she started enjoying drawing and painting in 2022 with Jacqueline Hill’s “5 Day Drawing Challenge. “I completely surprised myself with what I could accomplish under Jacqui’s instruction, and I’ve been hooked ever since!” exclaims the artist.

Alice gets inspiration from nature’s abundant beauty, mostly working with watercolors and acrylics; however, she continues to broaden her skills with new mediums as well. Alice currently enjoys art as a hobby and can’t wait to see where her journey leads!

I’ve loved art all my life, but was never much good! Learning to draw and paint has been on my bucket list for a good few years and is now a reality thanks to finding Jacqueline Hill and Art at Heart classes, this time around one year ago. The experience has been transformative in so many ways, I see the world anew through a different lens, brimming full of artistic possibility. Every little step is an opportunity for learning and improving, I’m loving the ability to create and become entranced with the various subjects and media, and especially appreciate how therapeutic it all is as a meditation in the midst of a crazy, busy life. As an older student, Jacqueline’s wonderful teaching and support, assisted by both Kyla and Bek and the encouragement from fellow students has been invaluable. In gratitude to all, thank you.

I live in the leafy suburb of Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, in a Queenslander that has been our family home for many years. I enjoyed my profession as a Primary School Teacher. I had dabbled in short art classes and decided when I was no longer working I would like to continue my learning in art. I joined an online watercolour challenge to paint a wren with Jacqueline in September 2021. This was the beginning of a massive creative journey for me. I have enjoyed the Beginner’s Classes in the various mediums. I participated in the online Art Retreats to Europe and Greece and a very special Art Retreat to the Whitsundays. I am now working in the Adventurers Classes and feeling there is still so much to learn.

After 43 years of teaching in Special Education, I retired in 2020. I have dabbled in knitting/crocheting/embroidery/needle rafts, but began painting with acrylics in 2018 during sip and paint classes. I found such relaxation in painting and now that I am retired, I wanted to expand my mediums. My first drawing experience was recently during a 5 day challenge zoom group led by the charming Jacqui Hill. My first water colors happened during our “trip to Greece.” My future includes other explorations of many mediums.

I start my art journey last August when I enrolled in the 5 day drawing challenge. On completion of this course I decided that I wanted to continue pursuing my art journey.
I love all aspect of creating unique and original pieces of art and becoming a student is enabling me to develop my art skills. I could not have believed that I would be willing to enter my art in an Art Exhibition. This journey has been very empowering.

I started my art journey like many when I was in high school. I loved the work that I did them, but that was nearly forty years ago, and life got in the way. I didn’t do any more at that time. Last year in May, I stumbled across a drawing challenge offered by Jacqueline Hill. I missed the lives but was able to catchup with the recordings. From drawings to watercolour and acrylic, I am enjoying the art that I am creating. I have always admired watercolour and ink work and look forward to many more opportunities to be creative.

I have a need to create! My ability has been carefully nurtured through the lessons in each of the Beginners Pathways in the dojo. I am now enjoying the Adventurers Pathways, using specific techniques and information learned.

I started drawing, with Jacqui’s introduction course.
This drawing was my practice in my journal. It started as an outline and fter I did the painting in watercolour I added the shading.

When I was in primary school, the art teacher that I had thought art was a waste of time. For the last 67 years, all I’ve done is just looked around. But in the last year, I’ve seen the colours. It’s just amazing.

As a young girl I liked to doodle flowers on my page at school but never had the chance to learn to paint! Fast forward 70 years later and I was destined to meet a talented local artist named Jacqueline Hill, who would inspire me to put some miles in the brush! I have really enjoyed learning the various mediums and of course, have been particularly drawn to painting flowers! I have learnt so much about drawing & painting during my lessons with Jacqui and the amazing Art Retreats I’ve been on with her! Amaazing!!

Hiyah there I’m Lisa.
My husband bought me drawing lessons with Jacqui in 2014 after I developed a brain injury where I lost the ability to read and write. Drawing, then painting and now pottery!! What an adventure, what a Joy, so rewarding!! Now I sell paintings in galleries and pottery at the handmade markets. Can you believe it!!
I love to create and am inspired by gardens, ocean waves, native animals and Australian colours and my birds.

When I was a child I thought I would grow up to be an artist. I was discouraged and told to get a proper job. I became a secretary instead while drawing & dabbling in many crafts. I didn’t think I could paint. After a long illness, divorce and homelessness, then covid lockdowns I started looking online for art classes. I found Jacqueline Hill’s Zen Art 5 Day Drawing Challenge and my life changed – Magic happened and here I am now in my 60’s painting and drawing every day. I love it and am very grateful.

I use drawing and painting as a meditation and to block out the problems of the world. I do Freeform knitting and crochet. It is one of my loves. Drawing and painting is another love that I’m developing fully.

Doing this kind of abstract art is organic for me. I have to do this art when listening to a lecture or talking on the phone because I have to keep my busy brain busy so as to pay attention being as I have ADHD.

Hi, My name is Michelle from Sydney, Australia. I have been dabbling in some sort of art for a while. Mainly photography lately but now I want to learn to paint or draw what I’m capturing on my camera.

I’ve explored my creativity over the years through music, crocheting, weaving, and art and functional quilts, and now I’m learning to paint. I began my artistic journey with Jacqueline Hill in October 2022 by completing her 5 Day Drawing Challenge. I was hooked! I have completed her drawing and watercolor beginning sessions and am now learning to use acrylic paints. I am thrilled to have discovered that I can draw and paint!

It’s such a joy to watch all the students grow not only in their art skill but also in their confidence. Many of the Fledgling 2022 artists have never participated in an exhibition before and they’ve all been so brave to trust us with hanging their artworks. This exhibition would not be the same if even one artwork in this collection were missing; not a single wall fails to bring a smile to my face.