About Jean Beck

Artist Statement

Jean joyfully paints outdoors. With an architectural degree, she admires cityscapes, enduring in spite of “progress,” tributes to laypersons’ or professionals’ whimsy and creativity. Showing landscapes or buildings in their best light, she paints authentic representational on-site watercolors, as carefully as a conservator would appreciate each subject. Jean “draws” with her brush, sometimes starting with paint, not pencil. Preferring on site work, she accepts commissions using owners’ photographs of favorite places.

A fourth generation Arizona (Bisbee) native, Jean still searches for shade to paint in. 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 and interior design degrees prepared her for deadlines. Photographs are only slightly useful: direct field observation is clearer. Lifelong drawing skills render facts which disappear in most photos while Jean edits and synthesizes big vistas from real outdoor viewing.

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 ART logo started in an AutoCAD computer class as her future architectural firm logo. Reminiscent of her great grandmother’s beautifully embroidered monogram from the 1880’s, Straight Arrow (she’s a non-drinker, never smoked) was a humorous architectural firm name / logo / North Arrow stamp. She worked for architects, engineers and designers about 15 years, on many varied projects: banks, hospitals, microchip manufacturing facilities, a Lake George (New York) boat house, a kidney dialysis center, a hospital birthing room, a municipal swimming pool, and 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

Awards

· 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

· Ten purchased by Anthony’s, Skyline and   Campbell

· Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2001

· Northern Trust Bank, 2000

· DeGrazia Little Gallery, 1997

Juried Exhibits

· 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

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:

Katherine Chang Liu (2008, '09, '10);
Carla O’Connor (2008); Tom Lynch (2007); David Schwindt (2003, ’06); Helga Flower (2002, ’05); Timothy Clark (2001);
Judi Betts (‘99); Sarah Schmerl (several foreign); Frank Webb (‘98; James G. Scott (4 years); 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 2005