ABOUT JENNY BUCHANAN
VISUAL ARTIST
I provide those who want to develop their painting skills a foundation from which to grow, through online courses, so anyone can create a life they love, through art.
My lessons are much more than "watch and copy" tutorials. They also include all the background information needed to succeed. I believe that when you understand the reasoning behind the techniques, it makes everything a whole lot easier to remember.
Working online means I can be sure to include every detail, explained in a way that makes sense, even to newer painters. In fact, I am mostly known for my clear, detailed and easy-to-follow video painting lessons.
Students are often surprised (and thrilled) at how much they learn in my art courses, and I am always thrilled to hear it.
Who I am
Some might call me a solopreneur. However, I prefer the term Nannapreneur because I am a 60-year-old grandmother who has combined all her life skills to create the best online art learning experience I can, Blue Beach House Art School.
I am a perfectionist, a stickler for detail, straight to the point and have a commonsense approach to life. I’ll admit that they are not always the first qualities that come to mind when you think of an artist. What I have discovered, though, is that those qualities are part of what makes me ideally suited to teaching painting through online courses.
Who I am Not
I don’t have any formal art training. I'm just an everyday person with a lot of experience in painting. That means I won’t try to make you feel inferior, never pass judgement and always offer honest feedback in a supportive way.
Making a name for myself as a painter is not in my future plans. My goal now is to pass on what I have learned to others. I hope this will be my legacy to the world after I am gone. That means the focus of what I do is on my students’ success, not my own.
Why I Do What I Do
The reason I create art has never changed since the day I sold my first painting back in 1997. It gives me a great sense of pride to be able to make something with my own two hands that gives pleasure to others. I can’t tell you how fantastic it feels when customers contact me (sometimes months later) just to tell me how much they love my work.
The reason I teach art is that I feel like I am sitting on a giant secret and I want to let it out. I know that you don’t have to be born with “the gift” to create beautiful artwork. You just need someone to show you how in a way that makes sense, someone who has been where you are now
How I Got Here
A lover of colour, the places I visit have always been my inspiration. When first exploring the world beyond my home state of Western Australia, I realised that every place has a unique beauty. I wanted to capture everything and take it home with me. At first, I tried to do that with a camera but my photos couldn’t do justice to all the beauty I had seen. I am not sure how, but at that point, I just knew that to bring those scenes to life, I needed to paint them.
So, in 1996, I enrolled in a painting course as a hobby. About a year later I began selling my work. Another year went by when I started to win a few art prizes. It was the year 2000 when I participated in my first gallery exhibition, along with four other artists, one of whom was my own art teacher. Not being a competitive person, however, I soon decided art competitions and exhibitions were not for me.
An interstate move came in 2002, due to my husband needing to find work after the Ansett collapse. I was working office jobs to pay the bills and then started managing a juice bar business we bought. This kept me away from art for a while but I knew it would always be there for me when needed. It was needed when I found myself unemployed in 2007. Burned out and in need of relaxation, I went back to art.
I began selling again in 2009. This time it was mosaics and online selling was just starting to take off, so I jumped on board. Working online requires a whole new set of skills, which I had to develop. Being able to communicate effectively, without the benefit of being in the same room as the person you are communicating with, is definitely one of those skills.
At that time, I also taught an in-person acrylic painting class at Artable Studio on the Gold Coast, which I found very rewarding. My mosaic business then got so busy that there was never time for anything else. After a while I began to miss painting.
Then, one day in 2019, I had a lightbulb moment.
It had dawned on me that I could combine all my painting, teaching and computer skills to create online art courses. I then dedicated the following year to the task of learning how. It had to be more than just a tutorial, though. I wanted to be sure my lessons would get students REAL results. So, I enrolled in an online course on how to create online courses. (Ironic, I know) It was the best money I ever spent.
Finally, in March 2020, Blue Beach House Art School was born with the launch of Paint Stunning Seascapes in Acrylics, The Formula For Success.
And just like that, I had found my true calling.
A Little Bit More About Me
Born and bred in Western Australia, I have been married to the love of my life for over 30 years. We have raised two beautiful daughters, welcomed their husbands to the family and now love nothing more than to dote on our four grandchildren. Two golden retrievers have also been part of our lives. The third is our granddog who lives with our eldest daughter and her family.
One of the great things about having a career as an artist is that you can take your work with you wherever you go. As the wife of an airline pilot, that is something I have had to do several times. Since leaving Western Australia in 2002, we moved to Queensland’s Gold Coast, Hawaii and then back to Northern New South Wales. We built a beach house there and painted it bright blue. In 2023 we made a big move to the USA but this was unexpectedly cut short, so now I am back where I belong, in the Blue Beach House.
Every move has been filled with excitement but has also brought its own unique set of challenges. (especially when we have to leave the family behind). Luckily, I have art. It has always come along for the ride, keeping me company wherever I go.
Here are 5 other things you may not know about me:
Before taking up painting, I worked as a bookkeeper for many years. I also ran my own juice bar in Surfers Paradise (when juice bars were a big thing)
I live in a Blue Beach House but it was supposed to be white. My husband and I changed our mind at the last minute and painted it blue, the brightest blue you will ever see.
At age 45 I ran my first (and only) half-marathon
At age 47 I learned to surf
In 2019 I was the champion of our local pub’s social golf club. I have to confess, though, that I am not great at golf. Points were given just for showing up and I attended every month 😂
What's Next?
Now you know a bit about me, I’d love to get to know you. If you've made it this far, we probably have something in common, so let's keep in touch.
Enter your details at the bottom of this page so I can deliver free art tips, tricks and resources directly to your inbox.
You can also join my Facebook Group, “Acrylic Painting Prep School", where you can show me your work and ask any questions about any aspect of your paintings that you may need help with.
Or, if you want to keep reading:
Return to the home page to discover more about Blue Beach House Art.