From the very first class, I knew I would not be turning back
Understanding an artist’s journey offers a deeper appreciation of their work, the influences, decisions, and passions that shape their creative path.
For Jaimie Volkaerts, abstract painting is both freedom and intention. After stepping away from a corporate career, she discovered a renewed sense of purpose through art, a space where bold texture, vibrant colour, and intuitive decision-making come together on the canvas. Her oil paintings invite you to pause, to feel, and to connect with her journey, and with your own.
In this conversation, Jaimie Volkaerts reflects on her transformation from corporate professional to full-time abstract painter. Drawn first by a desire to reconnect with creativity, she found in painting not just an outlet, but a calling. With oils as her preferred medium and the palette knife as her signature tool, her practice balances spontaneity with structure, energy with calm. Jaimie speaks candidly about risk, intuition, and the joy of making work that lives with people—pieces that resonate with personal meaning. From the layering of paint to the layers of story within her art, Jaimie creates with purpose, passion, and a deep appreciation for connection.
LSA: On your online platforms you talk about discovering art during a time of personal transition. What was it about that first local art class that made you feel so instantly connected?
Having spent years in a corporate role which was very procedural I was craving creativity, especially after leaving my role and having some time on my hands. When I took that first art class, something I’d wanted to do for a long time, I just felt instantly uplifted and I wanted to explore more. I remember going home after the first lesson and striving to recreate an idea I had in the class. I had loved art as a child but soon adult life took over and I stopped creating. I love the challenge of painting and art, there is always something to learn. I’m a big believer in having a purpose in life, I of course had this with my family and home life but leaving my corporate role had left a gap and art came at the perfect time for this.
LSA: What is it about the combination of oil paint and palette knives that keeps drawing you in?
I painted in acrylics for the first few years, they are great for abstract paintings as they allow you to quickly build up layers. The problem was that I was painting too quickly and the drying time is so quick if can be more difficult to achieve lovely blended backgrounds which I was especially drawn to. So during lockdown I decided to give oil painting a go. It was definitely a steep learning curve. There are so many more rules like fat over lean and mediums that all seem a bit scary at first. However, the process of oils made me slow down and consider my work more, and it also allowed me to create some beautiful soft blended areas that I was striving to achieve. The palette knife quickly became my favourite tool, there is something mesmerising about the way the paint mixes with this tool. I love picking up multiple colours and applying them to the canvas. When painting abstract you need to let go of smaller brush marks, until later stages at least, that realistic paintings sometimes require. The large palette knife allows for expressive gestural marks that I love.
LSA: How do you balance spontaneity with intention in your process?
My painting process always starts with a more spontaneous approach with the first layers. I restrict my colour palette in advance, this helps to ensure I don’t need to make colour decisions beyond that initial palette. Painting with oils requires time to dry between layers this always provides me with an opportunity to review my work at each stage. I spend lots of time looking at a piece, taking pictures and reviewing small images of the photos to help me to decide what to do next.
LSA: What has the journey from a corporate career to becoming a professional artist taught you about creativity and risk?
Throughout my corporate career I always felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone and therefore had to get comfortable with taking risks both personally and in business. This has been essential with art, from investing in my business to the decisions I make on the canvas I have needed to balance this feeling of risk. Working in a business environment also taught me the importance of utilising technology so having this skill set starting out in my art business was so helpful.
LSA: As your paintings now live in homes across the UK, what does it mean to you when someone connects with your work enough to make it part of their space?
I always feel so humbled when someone loves one of my artworks enough to want to make it part of their home. I create my artwork with a desire to help people bring individual personality into homes. When someone buys a piece I know I have helped them to do that. I love connecting with collectors and hearing their stories and about what made them purchase the artwork. Until recently I was working with a Fine Art Publisher which meant that I was very removed from the gallery and ultimately the collector. There is nothing nicer than when I get a message on instagram from a collector who has bough one of my pieces from a gallery. I had one lovely lady reach out to me to tell me she had bought one of my pieces as a tribute to her late father. I was so touched by this story. My last painting that sold with the LSA was bought as a valentines gift, this absolutely made my day to think that I created something that a collector loved enough to gift to their partner.