Jackie Hill's lifetime masterpiece
By Lynn Hobbs
Athlete, thespian, prosecutor, carpenter, wife, mother, and artist – a rainbow of colors and mediums make up the palette of Jackie Hill’s life.
The popular Lake Country artist and art teacher grew up in Tennessee. Jackie co-majored in political science and theater at Sewanee: The University of the South. While there, she was in the cross country club. “I had the most improved time, but that’s only because I was so bad,” she laughed.
Recalling her introduction to the sport, she said a friend took her on a trail run through the woods on the school’s 13,000 acres. “I couldn’t keep up with her but I couldn’t stop because I didn’t know where I was and I did not want to lose her,” she said. “It was exhausting.” But Jackie was hooked and continued running 5k’s until a couple of years ago when she was attacked by a dog while out running. Her injuries required reconstructive surgery of her knee. “I’m just glad I can walk now,” she said.
When she graduated Sewanee, Jackie knew she couldn’t be a thespian full-time, so she went to Mercer University School of Law. “Back then, you could take the bar while you were still in school,” she recalled. “So I actually passed the bar before I graduated.”
After graduation, Jackie prosecuted misdemeanor bench and jury trials for 10 years in Clayton and Douglas counties. “And then I took a breather for a year and built houses,” she interjected.
Wait, what?
“Being a prosecutor was so stressful that I took a breather and I built houses,” she repeated. Jackie started her own construction company called JNS Construction, Inc. in Douglasville. “And I did the stuff nobody wants to do, the silt fence, all the dirty stuff.” She built two houses that year. “I sold one and moved into the other one,” she explained as casually and matter-of-factly as if she’d just told what she’d had for dinner yesterday.
When questioned, Jackie explained that she had no previous experience in construction, but a man who was experienced took her under his wing and taught her. “Really, the sub-contractors kind of pull you along,” she said. “But I kept a diary of what I did every day and did inspections every day so I could learn what didn’t work and what did work. I loved picking out the cabinets and doors, and I loved the houses after they were finished.”
Then she met and married her husband, David. “The party was over so I went back to criminal prosecution because we needed money,” she said. As the Senior Assistant District Attorney for the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Jackie no longer prosecuted misdemeanor cases. Instead, she worked three years under DA Lewis R. Slaton “trying hard-core cases.” The historic Fulton County Courthouse is officially called the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse.
After her and David’s son and daughter were born, Jackie quit prosecuting to be a stay-at-home mom. That was when she picked up her former love of art. She had taken art lessons when she was 8 years old and through high school. Jackie worked with pastels in her high school art class, but wanted to learn to paint with oils. “But my teacher thought you had to be really good to do oils. So, finally I got up the nerve to ask her if she’d teach me oils. It was kind of like asking a guy that you like to go on a date,” she said. The teacher agreed to try and Jackie began taking private lessons from her. She also took art classes in college as an elective and built on what she had learned in high school.
So, as full-time mother, she began teaching summer art camps at the Paulding County Recreation Department, where she also taught adult classes. Her former major at Sewanee also came into play and she started a theater program at PCRD. Jackie wrote her own plays for the children’s theater. “We did a lot of fairytale-type plays,” her voice smiled. “The kids were so cute, from 5 years old to high school. I really enjoyed it. But my kids did not because they were having to help me with all the stage prep stuff.”
David and Jackie bought a weekend house on Lake Sinclair while they lived in Paulding County. True to her nature, Jackie got involved in the local community and organized a 5k at Crooked Creek Marina. Then, when their children, David and Michala, started college at Georgia College in Milledgeville, they decided to move to their lake house full time in 2019.
In her former Paulding home, Jackie had an art studio where she refined and delighted in her talents. Because their Lake Sinclair home is much smaller, she now paints on her kitchen table. She joined The Artisans Village Guild and Art Gallery in Eatonton. There, her displayed pieces caught people’s attention and they wanted to take lessons.
While searching online for a location to hold weekly classes, Jackie saw an advertisement that Lake Country Players was holding auditions for The Robber Bridegroom musical. “I was in Robber Bridegroom in college,” Jackie said. “I also was in the college ensemble and I liked the camaraderie, so I double majored in theater with the political science.”
Even though it had been years since her college role, Jackie auditioned and got the part of Salome in Lake Country Players’ production last year of The Robber Bridegroom. She was so inspired by the encouragement she received that she started singing at her church, New City Church at the Mill in Milledgeville. “I’m shy, so I never in a million years thought it was something I’d ever do, but I really love it,” she beamed.
And she also found a location for her weekly art classes. Jackie Hill’s Fine Art Classes are currently taught at Sylvia’s Coffee Shop in downtown Eatonton. Remembering what it was like when she took private lessons in high school and her teacher had so many students that Jackie only got to see her twice in class, Jackie said, “that slowed down the progress of what I was working on. So in my classes, I try to see everybody one-on-one at least 10 times.”
The many problem-solving skills Jackie herself learned throughout her varied experiences seem to shine during her class as she helps others visualize the process of their work and revamp flaws. “The harder it is, the more I want to tackle it,” Jackie said. “And I do what I like to do.” She pointed to a painting of Haslam’s Marina, which is her signature piece around the lake. She sells prints of it, but keeps the original for herself.
Classes are 10 a.m. until noon each Friday at Sylvia’s, 111 South Jefferson Avenue, downtown Eatonton. All mediums and styles are taught and students choose what they want to work on. The instruction is suitable for all levels, whether first-timers or advanced artist. “Come only when you can, no commitment needed,” Jackie said. All materials are included in the $30 fee. See examples of Jackie’s work as well as that of her students, on her Jackie Hill Fine Art page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JackieHillFineArt.
For more information, call or text Jackie at 470-747-9548 or email jackiehillart@gmail.com.
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This story appeared in Lakelife magazine, Volume 18, Issue 5, and is the property of Smith Communications, Inc. No portions of the story or photos may be copied or used without written consent from the publisher.
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