“I spent most of my life thinking I was not able to draw or paint,” says self-professed geeky web developer Jackie Johnston. “But during the summer of 2011, I bought a set of pastels and started playing with them. Encouraged by my results, that fall I took a painting class at my local community college.

“Since then, it’s been a pursuit that I have way too little time for, but really enjoy. I mostly use my own photographs for inspiration. And it is my love of animals and the ocean that inspires my choice of subject matter.”