Ocean Artists Society ™

Jacqui Stanley

Passionate diver, artist and educator, Jacqui loves to share her view of our beautiful ocean through art. Growing up in Australia, surrounded by tropical and temperate waters, it is impossible not to have a sense of stewardship for this blue planet. Jacqui has been a diver for almost forty years and has dived in most of the world’s oceans. She began sharing her ocean visions through the art of batik, learned in Singapore. Jacqui has painted in watercolours and oils, but one special dive in the Fiji Islands, when something caused her to look up from beneath a fabulous gorgonian coral and she saw a Great Hammerhead Shark high above, watching, she realized the only way she wanted to depict that vision was through the brilliance of acrylics. Jacqui wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Wolfie the Wolf-eel, to introduce lesser-known marine creatures from the cool waters of British Columbia. Her second book, The Dragons of Kangaroo Island, is set in the Great Southern Ocean. Jacqui serves on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council in the Education Seat, and is committed to promoting knowledge about this very special place, and all our National Marine Sanctuaries. Through her marriage to husband Rod, Jacqui has a deep pride and knowledge of the subsea industry. They have a daughter and two sons and four grandchildren and maintain residences in Houston, Texas and Blaine, Washington State. Through frequent presentations, workshops, and seminars at schools, libraries and conferences nationally and internationally Jacqui reaches a wide audience with whom she shares her passion for, and knowledge of the sea. She has a BA from the University of Western Australia, and an MLA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. She completed educator certification at Western Washington University and is a certified Texas educator. Jacqui currently works with Young Audiences of Houston, and she loves meeting students of all ages and sharing the wonders of our blue planet through art.