Jean has drawn since childhood, with her favorite subjects being horses and people.  Farm animals were a natural for her, since she lived on a farm in northeast Colorado as a child.  Riding horses as a child spurred a lifelong love of horses and the Western life. 

Jean was fortunate to study art at Western State College in Gunnison, CO, a cattle ranching town, where ranch hands still use horse drawn sleighs to feed the cattle herds in winter.  After college, she entered the business world because it was rare, at that time, to make a living with art.  While employed with the National Park Service, she did illustrations and graphics for the park's interpretive programs. 

Three years ago, she left the business world to pursue her lifelong passion - painting.  Having painted in oils since 1970, Jean's dream to paint full time has finally been realized, painting in her studio every day.