Photo of Artist

I have always loved to paint but I never really had the time to devote to painting. I was always too busy raising a family, working to earn a living at an insurance company or going to night school to get my degree in business. I handled civil and criminal liability claims at an insurance company for almost 25 years, and before that I sold real estate.

But circumstances forced me to really take a good look at my life and although I had accomplished many goals, something was missing. I wanted to do something that I really liked and to fulfill a dream of working at home. So a year and a half ago, I left my insurance job and started my own art business.

My Paintings are very different than those of most artists in that they are drilled in a 2 ft x 2 ft piece of birch lumber which is 1/2 on an inch thick. Once in a while I will do a 1 ft x 2 ft painting or a 2 ft x 4 ft painting. I free-hand sketch all of my subjects and then drill them 4 to 6 times and then sand them. The final touch is acrylic paint in a combination of realism and immpressionism styles. All parts of the focal point are drilled, no matter how small. Some paintings are more labor-intensive than others and they are priced accordingly. Often I will include a heavy relief or impasto technique as well as the drilling, which gives the paintings a quality of solidity. If I use oak, I often let the grain of the wood show through. Since all paintings are free hand drawings, no two paintings of the same subject will ever be alike. Each painting is one-of-a-kind.

My specialty is the American Steam Locomotive Trains, both freight and passenger lines. Unlike most artwork that needs to be framed, these paintings are made to be displayed without a frame or glass. Framing would hide the unique detail of these paintings. I try to make my trains as exact to the original locomotive as I can. I will feature more United States steam locomotives as I obtain the original blueprints.

I also drill various types of boats including sailboats and military boats. I will be offering more Pennsylvania farm scenes as well as industrial scenes. I have painted military scenes because of the influence of my father, who served in both WWII and the Korean War. Since Washington State is like a second home to me, I have included a lot of Washington State scenes.

I have had exhibitions of my paintings and a gallery showing at Lebanon Valley College, Suzanne Arnold Gallery, of which I am an alumna.

I also write, and two of my essays have been published in the Penn State Hershey Medical Center magazine, Wild Onions. I am a member of the National Railway Historical Society. I have finished two short stories and I am presently working on a novel. Later this year, I will include some of my photography on this site.

I am not taking any special orders at this time. My paintings are strictly first come, first serve. However, when you buy one of my paintings, you can be assured that you have an original piece of artwork. I will be adding more paintings as I finish them.

Any thoughts on my paintings can be shared with me at info@eclectic-artshop.com.

-- Jean