Biography

My paintings are rooted in a longing for beauty, restoration and emotional truth. Flowers are both the subject and the language I use to speak about life, loss, tenderness & the human yearning for Paradise Lost.

I was raised in a Christian home where faith was lived out sincerely, not performed as duty or ritual. My father was a minister & my parents embodied the values they taught: integrity, faithfulness, humility & care for others. Those values continue to shape both my life and my work. Truth and beauty remain my two North stars.

I paint flowers because they hold the tension I feel most deeply: fragility and permanence existing side by side. Flowers bloom brilliantly, then fade. Life feels much the same. Through careful craftsmanship, realism and attention to detail, I honour these brief moments as something sacred rather than disposable.

My work is informed by grief, tenderness, memory & restoration. I don’t paint to explain sorrow or joy, but I believe emotional truth leaves it’s trace inside my work. Collectors mention they feel something deeply calming & restorative in my paintings even though they can’t fully explain why.

The Old Masters & Pre-Raphaelite painters fascinate me for their devotion to craftsmanship, harmony, symbolism & beauty. I think of myself as an ‘old soul’, because in a culture that increasingly values speed, irony & disposability, I long for serenity, dignity, tenderness & reverence. I want my paintings to slow people down long enough to notice what still matters.

More recently, I’ve begun incorporating raised 24k gold gilding into my paintings using insect motifs. These small illuminated forms bring another layer of meaning to my work: strength, transformation, renewal & the sacredness hidden in creation.

My paintings are invitations into stillness. They’re small acts of resistance against chaos, cynicism & emotional numbness. They remind us all that beauty isn’t escapism. Beauty restores the soul.

Exhibitions:

  • 2026 - Winner HMVC gallery N.Y online group exhibition '“Full Bloom”

  • 2026 - Finalist Exhibizone “Flourish” international juried exhibition Canada

  • 2024 - “In The Frame” Waikato Art Expo group exhibition - St John’s College

  • 2021 - “Visages - Faces of NZ Artists” solo exhibition, ArtsPost, Hamilton

  • 2019 - Hilda Ross Art Exhibition, Art Nexus & ArtVenture Group show, Hamilton

  • 2018 - Dio ArtX Group exhibition, Diocesan School for Girls

  • 2018 - NZ Artist Magazine Vol.3 Issue 27 Mar/Apr.

  • 2018 - “An Artful Mix" Group exhibition, ArtsPost gallery, Hamilton

  • 2017 - "A Bold Adventure" Group show, Wallace Gallery, Morrinsville

  • 2016 - Finalist in the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards


For sales, commissions or general enquiries, Jacqui can be contacted through the Contact button on the home page or at jacqui.hart@xtra.co.nz

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