Vale Elissa Jackson: A talented artist with a beautiful outlook on life

With hands that could create magic - whether visually on a canvas, musically when playing the piano, or spinning the pottery wheel - her short life was fully encompassed by abstract artistry in all its forms.

Born in Orange on December 9, 1992, the second child of parents Stephen and Nadia Jackson always had a determined and bubbly personality, even as a baby.

Middle sister to Luke and Tiarna, and the carefree spirit of the family, she and her siblings grew up supporting and looking out for each other, even though they all had very different personalities.

And the two girls had a very special sisterly bond.

From playing dress-ups and frolicking through imaginary fairy gardens, to binge watching Vampire Diaries and The OC, they are memories that will forever be cherished.

It was during her schooling years at Orange East Public where the young artist's skills really began to flourish.

When the family moved to Bathurst, her education continued at Kelso High, where her love for the arts grew even more, so much so she studied at the Australian Institute of Music at Sydney.

She later studied visual art at the Australian National University in Canberra, where she learnt more about what she loved, made new friends and even more memories with her younger sister - who also made the move to study in the ACT.

While excelling at whatever she put her mind to, it was art in all its forms that she loved most. Creating a new world with her hands, in a painting or on the piano, was often what people would find her doing.

Her expressionism was unique and unapologetic, and an art form that she shared with her piano students.

Any struggles that came her way were overcome with grace and intelligence far beyond her years. She had the view that life is what you make of it, so make it beautiful.

That included family dinners catching up on life and discussing Mozart with a glass of red wine, her unique thrift-style outfits, and of course the way "music flowed eloquently from her fingertips like oxygen floating across the keys" on the piano.

To her mother, father, brother and sister, the beautiful melodies she would create, just off in her own world, will leave a big hole in their hearts.

But her legacy will live on, as well as the life lessons she instilled in all those she loved: to stress less, slow down and appreciate life, and to spend more time with those you love and less with those who don't make you happy.

Though her life was cut short at only 30 years of age on May 11, 2023, following an unexpected and short illness, the loving daughter, carefree sister, talented artist and nurturing teacher will forever be remembered for her electric aura and infectious personality.

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