About Jean Beck

Artist Statement

Jean feels great joy painting outdoors. With an architectural background, she admires cityscapes, enduring in spite of “progress” and the whimsy and creativity of laypersons or professionals. Showing landscapes or buildings in their best light, she uses mostly high key transparent colors, combinations of washes, strokes, wet-on-wet, or dry on dry, Jean “draws” with her brush, sometimes starting with paint, not pencil. Preferring to work on site, she has accepted commissions, using an owner’s photographs of favorite places.

A fourth generation Arizona (Bisbee) native, Jean still searches for shade to sit in, as she paints. Her mother arranged grade school lessons from visiting artists. Private art lessons throughout high school developed an intuitive sense of color and composition. Painting “on site” since childhood taught her to rapidly execute a field sketch or painting. Architecture prepared her for deadlines. Photographs are only slightly useful, as direct field observation is clearer.  Lifelong drawing abilities reveal what disappears in most photos.

Professional

Jean is a signature member of the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild and belongs to the Arizona Watercolor Association and the Tucson Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. She has had paintings in numerous juried art competitions, in Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Italy as well as the multistate Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Show. She has numerous awards, and her work is in many private and corporate collections.

Personal

Her logo was assigned in an AutoCAD computer Class. She created it after seeing her grandmother’s monogram from the 1880’s.  Straight Arrow was added because she does not smoke or drink. It was designed as a North arrow stamp and a humorous future architectural firm logo.  Now, it is her art logo.

She worked for architects, engineers or designers about 15 years, on banks, hospitals, microchip manufacturing facilities, a Lake George (New York) boat house, a kidney dialysis center, a hospital birthing room, a municipal swimming pool, single and multifamily residences.

Goals

Galleries and increasing web site exposure are some recently achieved goals. Jean shows by appointment only at 267 S. Stone Avenue, studio G, and welcomes the public there during Open Studio Tours. Now Jean enjoys the immediate emotional rewards from the process of painting, and from interacting with her patrons and collectors.

Artist Resume

Honors /Invitational Exhibits

· Exhibit in Terni, Italy; Invitation 2002

· Tohono Chul, invite 5/5/2009– 9/1/09

Awards

· Signature SAWG, “Restore-Renew”2011

· La Pilita docent’s award, post card, 2008

· Excellence in the professional category,
  “Fox King’s Stair, France,” SAWG 2007

· Honorable Mention 2006, Small Pictures,
  “Trader’s Joe’s Next?” SAWG

· Best of Show, “Old/New Glory,” Tubac   Center of the Arts Members' Show, 2004

· First Place, “Stickers,” Ironwood Gallery,   ASDM, 2002, Fiesta Sonora

· Juror’s Award: “Lost Island,” Tubac   Center Arts, S A Watercolor Guild, 1999

· Four first prizes: watercolor, oil, pastel,   ink; 1962, Kearny, Arizona, art show

· Fourth prize, first grade, crayon circus,   Cochise County Fair

Solo Exhibits (and Restaurants)

· Tohono Chul Tea Room, summer May-
  Sept. 2009

· Both Café A La C’Art (TMA Restaurant   twice) until 2007

· Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2001

· Northern Trust Bank, 2000

· DeGrazia Little Gallery, 1997

Juried Exhibits

· Arizona Aqueous XXV 2011

· Mountain Oyster Club show 2009, 2010

· Arizona Sonora Desert Museum,
  1995-1996, 2000-2007, 2009-2010

· Mountain Oyster Club 2009-2010

· Tohono Chul, 2004, “Looking In I”

· Empire Ranch Fund Raiser, ‘04, ’06, ‘09

· Western Federation of Watercolor,
 “Step Up,” Albuquerque, NM, 2002

· Tohono Chul Show, Desert After Dark,  “Jimson Weed,” Summer, 2002

·Tubac Center of the Arts, 1999, 2000,  (featured artist, January 2001), 2004

Galleries

· SAWG River Center (River/Craycroft)

· Tucson Museum of Art Gift Shop

· Tohono Chul Gift Shop (invitation)

· Wyatt Earp House Gallery, Tombstone

· Noebel Galleries, La Placita, Tucson, '74

Education

· U of A, Bachelor of Architecture 1979
· UA, BS, Interiors, Fashion Design 1965

Special Achievements

· Pima County Recorder’s calendar 2006

· Artist-in-residence, Tucson Metropolitan   Ministries, 2001, 2002, 2003 (children)

· Amer. Pen Women, watercolor guilds (2)

· Architect’s Registration, 8 parts passed

· Former docent, Tucson Museum of Art

· University Heights School - National   Register of Historic Places (process)

· YWCA playground (Chair – 3 volunteer     groups)

Group Exhibits

· Traveling exhibit, Tucson arroyos, 2005

· Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild,   Tucson, Arizona, 1995 to 2010

· Arizona Watercolor Society, 1998

· So. Arizona Artists Guild Gallery, 2002

· UofA Alumni Show, featured artist, 2001

· DeGrazia Little Gallery, ‘01 (3 Artists)

· Stillwell-Twiggs House 2000, 2001

· Pittsburgh Open Aqueous, 1998

· Murphey Gallery, 1996, two artist show

· Noebel Galleries, La Placita, Tucson , ‘74

Workshops:

K. Chang Liu (08,09,10,11) Carla O’Connor (2008), Tom Lynch (2007) David Schwindt (2003,’06), Helga Flower (2002,’05), Timothy Clark (2001,10), Judi Betts (‘99), Sarah Schmerl (several foreign), Frank Webb (‘98), James G. Scott, Raleigh Kinney, Chris Unwin, Pat Dedman, Martha Mans, Jose Sanchez, Joe Bohler, Virginia Blackstock , Diane Maxey, Dan Burt  

Teaching:

Occasional private lessons –
Mountain View Retirement Village 2007
Learning Curve, St. Philip’s 2004, 2005