School of Art and Design Alumni Exhibition 2021

Wellington B. Gray Gallery

Jean Cauthen
Graduated 1984

My artistic journey springs from a well of inspiration from nature, poetry, childhood and an especially broad swath of Art History. As a college teacher, I loved absorbing the history, the artists, the form, and subsequently re- counting the stories in a fresh way from a modern and personal perspective. There is power in stories and how they connect us. This fascination of “retelling” an artwork spill happily into my paintings as I re-imagine artworks and ‘collaborate’ with past painters.

Color always drives my stories. Through the language of painting I strive to convey the dueling natures of care and recklessness, control and chaos, the personal and the universal.

My hope is to connect the past with the present and create a dialog between the two. When considering the expressions of now and then, I think of Van Gogh who said, “Life is probably round.”

The Visitation (afterPontormo), oil on canvas, 60″ x 40″ x 2″, 2021