About

Jean WilkeyI paint stuff. Mostly in oil. I like to combine objects and elements in ways you might not normally expect. I think of it as constructed realism, and I paint it mainly from observation.

This blog is where I share my work, my art process, posts on the artist’s life, and what’s happening in the studio.

 I was born in the United States and after an uneventful childhood, I got a degree in commercial art thinking I’d go on to study painting — but left to see the world instead. I painted and showed my work wherever I went and after traveling to more than a dozen countries and living for years in Honduras, Costa Rica, and Israel, I returned to the United States and got a Master of fine arts degree in painting.

Miniature Schnauzer

I now live in southern New Mexico with my husband and two dogs, Simon and Smudge, and our turtles. Yes, we have box turtles. Lots of them – maybe 25, we’re not really sure. They came with the house and mostly eat and sleep and well, you know, make more turtles. I spend my time watching them, walking the dogs, muttering to myself, and making paintings. I teach painting classes and I teach drawing at Dona Ana Community College in Las Cruces, NM

I’ve shown work both in the United States and abroad and my work is in various private collections.

You can sign up for my mailing list here to get show invitations, info on classes and workshops, and an occasional newsletter.

We can also connect on Instagram.

You can see more work on my website or in these galleries: