The Artists League of the Sandhills is featuring Jean Noe Clark as Artist of the Month through October.

Her watercolor and acrylic paintings may be seen at the League Gallery, located at 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. The gallery is always open to the public from noon-3, weekdays.

Clark graduated from Purdue University in Illinois with a bachelors degree in Consumer and Family Services and from Tobe-Coburn School for Fashion Careers in New York City where she majored in retailing and minored in creative writing.

Following graduation, Clark pursued a writing career as the fashion editor of Chicago’s American Newspaper and as a freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune. At present, she continues to contribute as a freelance writer for Consumers Digest.

Clark attributes her early interest in drawing to an encouraging and patient mother and a diabolical art teacher whose idea of art was to grid and enlarge a magazine photo.

She now acknowledges this was great training in spatial relationships between line and form, positive and negative.

“I began to paint when I was looking for a creative outlet when my children were young” she states, adding, she learned spilled watercolors were easier to clean up than spilled oils.

Although she enjoyed painting as a creative outlet and as a way to relax, family and a full-time writing career took precedence.

“But I have always painted in my mind, analyzing colors, trimming landscapes into compositions, envisioning scenes on paper” she says.

After many full years parenting and pursuing a writing career, Clark returned to painting in both watercolor and acrylic. She says watercolor is a medium of light — the sparkle of untouched white paper, of restraint, of planning, of experience and experiment, truly a thinking person’s medium.

“Acrylic is a rich, textural medium. Even though it can be used as transparently as watercolor, I love it for the deep, rich color and body it provides a painting. I like feeling it on my brush or palette knife as I pull it across a canvas or paper. Somehow, it connects with the child who loved to fingerpaint,” writes Jean Noe Clark.

Jean’s first watercolor teacher was Mary Todd Beam. She also studied with Jennifer Herren in Chicago and took an Edgar Whitney Maine Workshop. Her work has been exhibited widely, including: a Statewide Watercolor Exhibit (Juried) in St. Charles, and the Spring Watercolor Show (Juried) in Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, Ill.

Art League Shows where Jean has exhibited include: Aurora Art League, Aurora, Ill.; Wayne Art League, Wayne, Ill.; Naperville Art League, Naperville,Ill.; Artists League of the Sandhills, Aberdeen. Her artwork is displayed in the Aurora Public Library and the Batavia Public Library, both in Illinois, and as well in many private homes.

Coming Soon

Coming soon to the Artists League is The Tony Couch Watercolor Workshop, scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 3.Tony Couch is a well-known artist, author and teacher.