When asked for insight to her paintings, perhaps the above definition applies best. Jeanne is a down to earth artist who shares her life openly. A graduate of the University of Michigan’s Fine Art program, she concentrated in graphic design. Jeanne has enjoyed an interesting computer arts career in the world of logo design, layout & commercial advertising. These jobs prepared Jeanne to work with a design team of computer illustrators for Boeing Aerospace.

In balancing work with her family, Jeanne’s family came first. “I had to be patient & that was difficult,” she admits, “But kids grow up & leave -- I didn’t want to miss any part of my time with them.” Active children coupled with 8 moves in 16 years, the family kept busy. When her husband, Larry retired from a 20 year Air Force career, life began to stabilize. “We finally lived in a place we all loved, we were ready to put down roots” Jeanne says smiling. As an extraordinary gift of love & devotion, Larry & their two children, Nicole & Aaron, finished off a garage studio so Jeanne would have a special place to pull her paints out of the attic & explore making art without a computer again.

Jeanne has begun her journey with representational painting. “I haven’t picked up a paintbrush in years to paint anything other than an entire room!” she quips, referring to the many times she & her family has moved. “I am learning to take my time with painting. I cannot do everything at once. I study the work of other artists, see something I like and assign myself a task.”

Along with trying different techniques, Jeanne is always on the lookout for something to paint. “It’s exciting to literally draw outside of the box (meaning her computer). At this point,” she muses, “I have more subject matter to paint than I will ever be able to get to.”