"My work is representational, capturing nature in a traditional manner using acrylic paint. As Ruskin said, 'Art is the uplifting of beauty so all can see and enjoy' and this is my goal. I work on canvas without an acrylic medium and using only water for the many transparent glazes which afford depth, especially when painting water. I emphasize design in color and form and, for subject matter, focus on the endless change of the Michigan landscape. While my approach is realistic, my finished work is not tied to the exact literalness of the scene, changing composition, values, or color when artistically necessary. I attempt to see natural forms as color shapes rather than merely as objects in space. This facilitates translation from the three-dimensional world to a two-dimensional surface. My original sketches are kept very simple and rather abstract. The two most important things here are the design of composition and value pattern. I use a very limited palette of eight colors and white, which permits me to express myself more clearly. Earth colors dominate my paintings, for I find neutral colors less tiring than bright colors. I spend an average of 30 hours on the development of a painting. I do not try to finish any one area completely but usually keep working over the entire canvas. Quoting Emile Zola, 'The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work.' I believe in the validity of realistic expression to communicate. Responding to life around me, I try to say something about the things I care about. Responding as a creature in God’s creation, I try to say something about the beauty of life and nature that is God-given." ABOUTJeanne Rockett majored in art education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studied at Calvin College, and the Chicago School of Interior Decoration. She taught Art in a local school system for 10 years and taught limited classes for adults in her studio. Recognition of her talent came in 1987 when she became First Place Winner in Michigan’s sesquicentennial “Living Legends” Art Contest sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources. Her painting of the Michigan dune scapes reflects her love of an area where she vacationed since childhood, and her desire to see it preserved. The “Rockett” signed paintings have been purchased for homes and businesses in the Midwest for over forty years. Known as “the artist who paints the Lake,” she continues to paint Lake Michigan with sensitivity and distinction. PROCESSJeanne works on canvas without an acrylic medium and using only water for the many transparent glazes which afford depth, especially when painting water as a subject. Her original sketches are kept very simple and rather abstract. Earth colors dominate the paintings. She finds neutral colors less tiring than bright colors. The two controlling design elements are composition and color value patterns. She expresses herself with a limited palette consisting of eight colors and white. Spending an average of 30 hours on the development of a painting, working the entire canvas in a fluid process.