John Schneider

Jean Lukens is a contemporary watercolor artist whose passion for itegrating the organic medium of watercolor and the linear ink line create paintings that are nontraditional and unique. Jean intensifies the subject of her paintings with the addition of black ink.

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater in 1979 with a bachelor of fine arts in Art History and a minor in Studio Art. She moved to California i 1982, three years later she co-founded Fawnhaven Montessori Pre-School and taught there from 1985 to 1994. When she retired from teaching, Jean studied watercolor, printing and drawing at Cabrillo College, 1995 and 1996. She also took watercolor workshops with nationally kown watercolor artists; Don Andrews, Jim Kosnavec and Miles Batt. The past nine years, she has been included in Open Studios. An annual self-guided art tour of art studios in Corralitos, CA.

While on a school sponsored field trip to the Museum of Art in Chicago, I was surprised to see that the paintings were looked at so quickly. Few people stopped to really look at the work. I was inspired and decided that I would create paintings that encouraged the viewer to stop and really see what was there in front of them. The viewer cannot assume he's seeing what is to be expected and that for me is very exciting.

Jean has participated in juried and small group shows throughout the Monterey Bay area. She has shown her work at the Galeria Tonantzin: Center for Art and Humanities in San Juan Bautista CA, A.L. Walters Gallery in Watsonville CA, Santa Cruz Picture Framing and Gallery of Santa Cruz, CA and various restaurants and offices in the Santa Cruz CA area. Her work is collected locally, nationally, and internationally.

For 2007, Jean is acting President of ISEA, the International Society of Experimental Artists. She is coordinating ISEA's nation exhibition to be held August 11th to September 9th in Santa Cruz.

131 W. Court St. · P.O. Box 475 · Richland Center, WI 53581

608-604-2838