Gayndah's Jaz Slack on finding her art talent four years ago

On her days off from relief teaching, when her daughter Harriet is down for a nap and her son Riley is occupied, she'll take her palette out of the fridge and get back to work on her latest piece.

She may only have a few minutes, sometimes longer, but it's the only way she knows how.

Her oil canvas paintings of bulls, pets and people mirror that of a trained professional but Jaz only officially took up a paintbrush in 2018, while on maternity leave with her first born, Riley.

"I don't think there was ever a real finite time; I've always loved it," she said.

"My grandfather, he has always been really artistic and tries absolutely everything; lots of different mediums, and my mum, growing up she used to dabble in folk art as well so I've always been surrounded by it a bit.

"The fine art for me started when I went on maternity leave from being a [primary school] teacher because I found it really cathartic to be able to do something apart from being a mum all the time so I started to really try and hone my skills and it's flourished since then."

With the help of YouTube videos, a regional arts development fund grant to undertake portraiture training and her supportive grazier/carpenter husband Ryan, Jaz has now established a commission art business, Art by Jaz Slack, that has gained customers Australia-wide.

Everything from dogs, cats, cows and now human loved-ones are painted around her home.

Sometimes her easel is set up in the outdoor area, or in the dining room of her Gayndah home in Queensland, about two hours inland from Bundaberg.

"There is a small amount of time, because I work as a teacher as well, on the other days when I'm home, my daughter has a nap so while my son is occupied doing something else I'll quickly get the paints out," she said.

"Otherwise, if I do it any other time, there are consequences like paint everywhere, holes in canvas, you name it.

"I have my paintings in a little spot in our spare room down there so the kids can't get them, the baby gate is up.

"Some of them they co-painted with me so that one, Harriet has her hand prints and this one of Riley he did his hands at the back."

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The level of detail in her work means strong contrasts, shadows and even wrinkled skin are a challenge and one piece can take 20 to 30 hours to perfect.

"I start by drawing it on but before that I'll put a wash on under the canvas of an ombre colour and then after that it's all a process of getting your darks and lights right; if you can get that, you are half the way there," she said.

"I keep going at it for hours and hours and eventually it looks like some resemblance of what it's meant to look like."

Her fondest piece is one of her grandfather.

"My mother-in-law actually said one day to me, 'Why don't you paint him? He has got a very wise face' so I thought what a good idea, what a great man to paint," Jaz said.

"I asked him and he was more then happy. He gave me a series of photos and I changed it a little bit and came up with that.

"Eventually I'll give it to him but I want to put it in a competition perhaps first."

Agriculture and life on the land is a big inspiration for her work too.

She hopes to continue to grow her client base and is enjoying teaching art at school.

"I used to do a lot of acrylic work, I also used to do millinery but this is my absolute favourite," she said.

"It makes me really happy...I often get the most beautiful messages from them [clients] when they receive it (the art) or photos that I've sent to them [that] it feels like that person is right back with me or my pet is right back with me, I think that's a really satisfying part of it."