Jean was raised in Seattle, becoming an Oregonian through colleges (Willamette studying art with Carl Hall, & OSU), and marriage. In 1960 she moved to Coos Bay when her pharmacist husband became a partner in Empire Rexall Drug Store. While raising children (Jennifer, Lee, Tom), helping with store gift buying and display work, etc. she continued taking art classes. (oils with Maggie Karl, Sarah Spaugh, Howard Hall, Vicki McKean-Smith, design and pottery with Carol Vernon, pastels with Pat Weaver, and several watercolor classes with Terry Magill, Fred Vassar, Donna Wright, also Julie Spence, Liv Drahos, Robin Jenkins, Carolyn LaGrand, and workshops from Ellen Gabehart, Larry Johnson, Nelson Sangren, Winnie Givot, and Scott Johnson among others. She has also taken classes in Seattle, Bend and the at Sitka Center, most recently with Angie Granger.
While teaching for Coquille School District, she and Arlene Roblan put together a booklet, Art Experiments for Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade which was printed by Coos ESD and available to all teachers in the county. Previously, she had included creative art projects for preschoolers in the parenting booklets and classes she created and taught at SWOCC for several years. Her mural design was chosen for the first Day Care Center module at the college several years ago. Jean took Art Therapy classes during her studies for her Masters in Counseling, and used art regularly to assist children to express their feelings while working as an elementary school counselor and as a volunteer at Light House Center for Grieving Children (Hospice).
Since retirement, Jean has focused on exploring the medium of watercolor. She feels the watery effects express the beauty, light and harmony of nature. One of her goals has been to share her love of nature and to gain skill in capturing the light/glow she sees in living things. In recent years she has been enjoying exploring experimental techniques: pours, limited palettes, use of liquid watercolor, nature stencils, and alcohol inks on yupo surfaces to allow more creativity to flow through. She especially likes the vibrant tones of alcohol inks and likens them to happy, little jewels brightening up a room.
Her work has been shown at Coos Art Museum, Gallery by the Bay, The Artist Loft, Second Street Gallery, Art by the Sea Gallery, Evergreen Court, Coos Bay Library, Bandon Library, High Tide Restaurant, and several other venues. She is a member of Bay Area Artist Association, Watercolor Society of Oregon, and Coos Art Museum.