When an email popped into my mailbox with the subject line: Hello Sunshine Magazine Front Cover Artist Opportunity! it caught my attention immediately. The email was from Rebecca, who quickly introduced herself as the editor of the quarterly lifestyle magazines IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine. They are Savvy, Surprising and Spirited, all about connecting the community through storytelling, and love to feature local Sunshine Coast artists.
Rebecca’s email was an invitation to feature my artwork on the Hello Sunshine magazine cover, the sister magazine to IN Noosa, and share my creative story in their autumn edition launching mid-March 2024. I was over the moon. It was an honor I accepted with immense excitement!
For me, one of the joys of travel has always been discovering free magazines in resorts and hotel rooms, which offer curated lists of local events, activities and the top dining venues. Before settling on the Sunshine Coast with our family, flipping through IN Noosa or Hello Sunshine magazine was a cherished ritual during our holidays in the region. It marked the transition from everyday life to holiday bliss. Now, being an integral part of this publication feels like an unreal full-circle moment!
Autumn Abundance, the 2024 Autumn issue of Hello Sunshine Magazine featuring my oil painting on the cover.
My original oil painting titled ‘In The Meantime’ | oil on canvas | 30 x 30cm and the Hello Sunshine magazine cover.
Rebecca visited my home, where I had the opportunity to show her my work, my creative space, and how my art practice intertwines with our family life. Leading up to the interview, I was a little nervous, but as soon as we began chatting, it felt like reconnecting with a long-lost friend.
Over coffee, Rebecca asked the main question: 'So, tell me about your art practice?' At first, articulating my art practice into words felt challenging. Much of it comes from the soul, and the physical act of painting is merely an extension—a means to convey how I perceive the world and where I find my place in it. However, once I started, the words flowed effortlessly.
I shared my art journal with Rebecca, showcasing my process and explaining how my finished pieces are meticulously planned once the initial vision takes form in my mind.
Rebecca gained insight into my creative process and how I bring my paintings to life on canvas after the design phase.
We also delved into the theme of motherhood and creativity, discussing the challenges creative mothers face in balancing their creative pursuits with family responsibilities.
Time flew by during our conversation, and as Rebecca left, I hoped she had gathered enough content and insights to write about my work as an artist. When the proof eventually arrived in my inbox for review, it was evident that Rebecca is exceptionally skilled at what she does.
In Full Bloom: My cover story where I discuss my art practice, my inspirations and how my creativity fits into this world, written by Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer editor for Hello Sunshine Magazine. Photography credit: Christine Hall.
This is what Rebecca had to say:
Autumn 2024 In Full Bloom with Jasmine Veronique: Cover Story
Image source: Photographer Christine Hall
Mar, 2024 By Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer
Moving to the Sunshine Coast was the creative catalyst for our cover artist Jasmine Veronique, who’s captivated by the wild beauty of all things floral, discovers Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer.
Jasmine Veronique’s bold, moody, sumptuous flowers might have you thinking she’s perfected her style over decades, but – although she’s been creative her entire life – Jasmine’s oil-painting practice and her career as a full-time artist is relatively new.
Growing up, her mother was an artist with a little studio and gallery on the Gold Coast, and Jasmine was surrounded by pots of paint, blank canvases and plenty of creative encouragement.
She studied a Bachelor of Animation at university, but found herself craving a more tactile outlet, which led her to dabble in painting portraits, animals and landscapes. However, those feelings took a back seat as she gave birth to a daughter and a son, and fully immersed herself in the beauty, joy and chaos of early motherhood.
In 2022, the family moved from Ipswich to the lush hinterland area of Ninderry, and something sparked in Jasmine.
Inspired by the landscape and the close-knit creative community of artists on the Sunshine Coast, she enrolled in a four-day oil painting workshop at Art School Co with founder Jess Le Clerc – and the rest is history.
“I’d never really been interested in still life before, but one day our task was to paint this bunch of flowers in a vase, and I thought, ‘I absolutely love this!’” she says. “My daughter is obsessed with flowers and is always picking them, so that really brought them into my consciousness.
“But I also realised that with flowers, as opposed to people or animals, you don’t have to depict them perfectly – instead you can relax and focus on developing a style that feels true to you.”
Jasmine now has a large, cohesive body of blooming beautiful work: opulent arrangements in vessels; flowers beside gorgeous faces (as seen on the piece chosen as our cover image, In the Waiting); and, more recently, native flora resplendent in its natural habitat – miraculously springing up from sand dunes, clustered together in a field, or caught just at that moment as the sun goes down, bathed in golden light.
She takes inspiration from photos she’s seen, places she’s been, and the beauty of the world around her.
“The natural world just provides that constant sense of wonder and grounding. I love how free it is; it’s eternally inspiring,” she says. “As kids, we were outside exploring all the time, and I’m so thankful for that chance to cultivate an appreciation for nature. That’s helped shape my values for both my business and personal life, which are ‘beauty, freedom and wonder’.”
One of her recent works was selected as a finalist in the Local Contemporary Art Prize and on display at Caloundra Regional Gallery – a large canvas featuring the pink Pigface flowers from the native succulent that Jasmine saw blooming on the sand dunes as she walked on the beach one afternoon.
“I called it Dune Warden because the plant helps maintain the structure and integrity of the sand dunes,” she shares. “I saw them on one of my first beach walks after moving here, so it’s a special memory for me. I thought they were beautiful, but they also have this purpose of protecting the landscape, which is something that resonates with us all.”
Constantly refining her process thanks to the regular classes she attends at Art School Co, Jasmine has a huge notebook filled with inspiration images, sketches, colour studies and quotes that she’s always updating to keep her own creative garden flourishing.
Rather than diving head-first into her canvases, each artwork is carefully planned and executed.
“I’ll decide where I want the focus to be and which colours I’ll be using, and then I’ll sketch out the whole thing, which means I’m less likely to get halfway through a work and decide that I don’t like the composition,” she explains. “That’s been a really big breakthrough for me.”
Since moving here, Jasmine has enjoyed connecting with the vibrant, eclectic arts community here, and feels supported and encouraged.
“There’s a broad spectrum of artists – young and old, professional and emerging – across lots of different mediums, and everyone is really happy to be part of the same community,” she says.
She was recently voted the People’s Choice at the 40 Under 40 Exhibition at Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre for her work Golden Hour – a painting symbolising “the opening possibilities of a new day” – an accolade that has fuelled her to work even harder at her craft, and put more beauty out into the world. In addition to being part of the Local Contemporary Art Prize on display at Caloundra Regional Gallery, Jasmine’s work will be featured at the Affordable Art Fair in Brisbane from 9-12 May as part of Yandina’s Stevens Street Gallery.
Creating art helps Jasmine feel increasingly connected to this special place she now calls home, and as her style develops, she feels compelled to move away from still life scenes and focus on the imperfect, resilient, wild beauty of native flora.
“This year, I want to bring more storytelling and a sense of place into my work,” she says.
We can’t wait to watch her creativity bloom!
Hello Sunshine magazine Launch Party held in the Champagne Garden at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club, Caloundra where I saw the magazine cover for the first time.
Deb Caruso, Publisher and Editor in Chief of the IN Noosa and Hello Sunshine magazines officially opening the launch party. As Editor-In-Chief, Deb and her team scour the Sunshine Coast from the hinterland to the beaches, sharing the Savvy, Surprising and Spirited stories of Sunshine Coast locals from up-and-coming artists and entrepreneurs to sensational fashion, food and flavours from Caloundra to Noosa.
Sunday the 24th of March 2024 marked a memorable celebration of the Autumn issue launch, hosted alongside Deb Caruso, the well-known Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of IN Noosa + Hello Sunshine, Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer, Editor and Senior Content Creator, Jodie Cameron, the dynamic Marketing Coordinator, and the rest of the team which bring the IN Noosa + Hello Sunshine magazines to completion. Held at Sunshine Coast Turf Club in the Champagne Garden in Caloundra, the event was graced by a diverse group of guests. It was an enriching experience, filled with meaningful conversations and new connections.
The Hello Sunshine magazine is free to collect from almost everywhere you may venture out to on the Sunshine Coast. It is a celebration of not only our local arts, but the food, health and beauty, fashion, lifestyle and the people of our region.
If you like reading about what goes on behind-the-scenes and my inspirations
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