About Young Artists
The Art School
Every year since our opening in 2010, thousands of children enjoy visiting the Sydney Young Artists Art School to experience our art programs, art classes and school holiday art workshops. Our carefully structured approach to education is designed to give students a rewarding art experience in a nurturing, creative and inspiring environment.
Young Artists educational art programs are designed by qualified educators who specialise in art education for children. We develop technical skills in drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking, collage, clay, sculpture, ceramic painting and glazing.
Our age appropriate programs and classes give students confidence by allowing them to experiment with a wide range of media. We teach art terminology and help students recognise their own strengths and weaknesses as artists. Programs and classes also change from term to term, meaning students stay interested, and challenged. We aim to make our programs enjoyable for the children because they learn more when they enjoy what they are doing!
Young Artists is located in Castle Hill in the Hills District of Sydney, NSW. Our professional, child friendly and light filled studio space is located in a safe area away from busy roads at Unit 43, 9 Hoyle Avenue, Castle Hill. There is parking at the front door.
All Young Artists teachers have had a working with children check.
Beware of cheap imitations
We are professional ART teachers with years of experience conducting art classes for children in the North Western Suburb of Castle Hill since 2010.
We’re so good at what we do that some new competitors have copied our testimonials from our real customers as well as content from our website and added them to their website!
Well, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But maybe not trust an art school that has fake reviews and teachers?
about Jane
(our School Principal and qualified art teacher)
Jane Blatchford was born into an artistic family in a small NSW country town. 
Her father was an art teacher early in his career and her aunt and uncle are both well recognised artists.
As a young child Jane was always making things under the guidance of her creative family. By the age of 6 she was designing and making Barbie clothes and crocheting colourful cushions and blankets. By nine, Jane was lucky enough to receive art tutoring from her talented aunt in the country town of Forbes. It was at this time and with this positive encouragement that Jane discovered her love of art. Jane remembers her own experience of growing confidence and pleasure in her creative skill, honed in these early years of art education. It is this same experience that Jane aims to provide to her students.
Jane studied visual arts throughout high school, including her HSC. By the age of 16 she was helping a local artist paint a mural on the façade of Muswellbrook’s Regional Arts Centre.
After school, she spent 4 years studying in Sydney at The City Art Institute, which is now known as The NSW College of Fine Arts (COFA). Jane completed her Bachelor of Education in Visual Arts and majored in drawing.
During her youth, Jane regularly visited her uncle’s art gallery in The Blue Mountains to see exhibitions of his work. He was also an art teacher and let her borrow many art reference books, which were vital to her studies in a time without the internet.
Jane has also studied portraiture and figure painting at the oldest running Art School in Australia, The Julian Ashton Art School. Even the easels she worked on there are heritage listed!
With over 35 years of experience teaching Visual Arts and Design and Technology, Jane has worked in both government and independent schools. Many of her students have gone on to tertiary studies, and she would like to believe, a lifetime enjoyment of art. Jane has predominately taught in secondary schools, but is experienced in teaching infants and primary school children, and operated an art studio prior to opening Young Artists.
Alongside teaching Jane started her hand painted giftware business, “JFB Designs” back in 1996. JFB Designs produced painted glassware, coasters and jewellery boxes for 15 boutique shops throughout Sydney. A number of these products have featured in home and decor magazines. The birth of three beautiful children meant life became too busy to continue this business.
While Jane has exhibited some of her artwork over the years, teaching children art has always been her key interest. Now that her children are getting older, Jane hopes to spend more time painting.
Jane’s goal in life is to use constant positive reinforcement to encourage as many children as possible to continue with their art. To quote Picasso;
“All children are born artists… the problem is to remain artists as they grow up.”
Jane wants children to create art for pleasure without fear of criticism or judgement. Jane does not want children to be worried about grades – she wants to create future adults who love and enjoy the process of creation.
It is for this reason that Jane started upon this next stage in her artistic journey. It had been a dream of hers for many years to open the Young Artists Visual Arts School for kids and teens. It finally happened on July the 12th, 2010.
The slogan “Joy Creating” says it all. By enrolling your children at Young Artists, you are empowering Jane’s dreams and passion for art, and cultivating a similar attitude in the lives of your own family.
about Manjula
one of our art teachers
Manjula Sri-Pathma has over 25 years of teaching experience, and is passionate about the visual arts and creativity. Manjula has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts from the College of Fine Arts UNSW, and a Diploma in Teaching from the University of Sydney. Manjula is experienced with a range of media and creative techniques, and holds a wide knowledge of art history and art criticism. After exhibiting her paintings for a short period, she has dedicated her skills and creativity to teaching people of all ages. As a visual arts teacher, Manjula enjoys the privilege of watching students develop their artistic skills as they age. A number of her students have had artworks displayed in the prestigious annual Artexpress exhibition.
Manjula continues her pedagogical interests and is currently a University Practicum Supervisor with the Australian Catholic University (ACU), assessing new teachers’ application of teaching and learning practices. Manjula has a Diploma in Development Studies from Macquarie University and combines her passion for art with her humanitarian voluntary work. She is a passionate mentor and volunteer in art workshops for under privileged women and children from many community groups.
about Alex
one of our illustrators and a former student
Completing the HSC in 2016 with a focus on the creative arts, Alex’s Visual Arts and Costume design major works were individually selected for both the esteemed ARTEXPRESS and OnSTAGE. Both exhibits showcase works by the top HSC students in the state, in both Drama and Visual Arts disciplines.
In 2017, Alex completed a Diploma of Production Design at Enmore TAFE, studying fields such as illustration, graphic design, special effects makeup, and set production.
Furthering her artistic skillset, Alex then completed a twelve-month core Concept Design course at Production Art Department in 2019. This program delved into subjects such as live drawing, human anatomy, and colour and light study. During this time, she was also a part of a small studio that participated in several conventions selling and displaying their work.
Currently, Alex is continuing her studies, completing her Bachelor of 2D Animation at the Australian Institute of Technology. She is constantly sharing what she learns with her students, giving them the best head start on their art journey before they have even finished school.
Alex loves all things anime, cartoons, animation, and gaming, shares a common interest with her students and enjoys showing them the artistic side of these much-loved media.
No stranger to Young Artists, Alex was a student herself at our school for over 5 years and a Teachers Assistant for 4 years.
about Yvonne
one of our digital artists
Yvonne is an emerging artist and trainee art therapist, currently completing their Master of Art Therapy at Western Sydney University. They have also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts from UNSW Art & Design, with extensive training in animation and fine arts. In 2018 Yvonne completed their Honours research thesis on post-migratory cultural tension and interdisciplinary art making.
Alongside teaching at Young Artists and art therapy training, Yvonne is an exhibiting and freelance artist. Yvonne has a great passion for teaching art, especially to children and young people, and finds it enriching and rewarding for everyone involved.
about Zoe
one of our art teachers
Zoe has been a part of our art community for many years, first as a student for 10 years and as a dedicated teacher’s assistant for the past five. With a Diploma in Visual Arts and currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Art Therapy, Zoe brings both artistic expertise and an understanding of the emotional power of creativity.
With a passion for working with children, Zoe fosters creativity and personal growth. She aims to create a nurturing and inspiring environment where young artists feel encouraged to express themselves freely and confidently. Zoe believes every child has a unique creative voice, and she loves guiding them as they develop confidence and self-expression through artistic exploration.
about Bronte
one of our art teachers
Bronte is an emerging contemporary Australian artist and animator who has recently graduated with Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the National Art School. She is a well-experienced and trained artist who creates oil and acrylic-based paintings, drawings, digital works, and animations.
Bronte enjoys working with students and teaching them new ways to view and create art. She aims to push materiality and the boundaries of what constitutes art making. And she is always happy to encourage students to do the same. She believes that there’s more to art than just one material. She isn’t afraid to implement new mediums in every work. She always wants to bring the best out of students and show them they can make art.
Bronte’s work was recently exhibited at the National Art School BFA Grad Show in 2022, and she received the 2022 Derivan Acrylics Award for Mixed Media. Her work has been exhibited at Hazelhurst Arts Centre in Art Rules, 2019-20.
For Spotify, she created the digital cover art for independent American musician Naveynot’s single You’ve Changed in 2021. A segment of her animation was used in British rapper AJ Tracey and singer Mabel’s music video, West Ten Home Video, in 2020. She has collaborated with many filmmakers creating illustrations for Saving Medusa, a 2021 short film, and a poster for the short film Trying, 2021.
about Cameron
one of our art teachers
Cameron Wolff is 21 years old and was a long-term student prior to teaching at Young Artists. He began classes when he was just 10 years old, and through them developed a love for painting and drawing, among other mediums. In particular, he enjoys drawing and painting people, as well as combining realism with surreal or expressive qualities and using lots of colour!
Cameron began assisting classes at Young Artists when he was 14. Alongside other Young Artists teachers and assistants, he also assisted Illuminart in 2018 as part of Rouse Hill Town Centre’s ‘Illuminate the Hills’ Christmas art workshops. He has now begun a teaching role at Young Artists teaching our Kindy group.
Cameron graduated high school in 2019 and received a band 6 in HSC art. He is currently completing his third year of a psychology degree at Macquarie University. He is particularly passionate about child psychology and working with children, enjoying helping his students express their creativity in class while also learning new skills himself. Cameron aims to provide a positive, supportive, and welcoming atmosphere for his students, which centres around their unique perspective of the world. Cameron encourages all of his students to create artworks that reflect their unique experiences.