Ambassador of the Week: Jeanne McLeish

May 15, 2018

Meet J eanne McLeish, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!

Strap Ferns – I hope that this image reminds the viewer of the wonder and beauty of the natural world and inspires them to take a walk in the woods.

Jeanne McLeish was born in Clinton, Indiana and began painting in 1970. Working in both watercolor and oil, she creates images that reflect her deep love of nature as well as her fascination with color and light.

Her paintings have been included in numerous annual exhibitions including the Hoosier Salon, Indiana Heritage Arts, Watercolor Society of Indiana, Indiana Artists Club, Wabash Valley Exhibition, Realism Today, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Awards include Best of Show in the Watercolor Society of Indiana 2004, the Indiana Artists Club Annual 2009 and First Brush of Spring in New Harmony, IN in 2012 and View Point 48, a national juried art competition in 2016.

Watermarks II – At the end of a day of plein air painting, all of the beauty found out of doors seems enhanced. These water willows and autumn reflections dazzled me and inspired this studio painting.

Jeanne began teaching watercolor classes in 1977. She was an instructor at the Indianapolis Art Center between 1985 and 1990. She often teaches outdoor workshops that focus on the challenges of plein air painting. During the summer of 2011, Jeanne served as the National Park Service’s artist in residence at the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore Park. She served as artist in residence in 2016 in Shades State Park as part of Indiana’s bicentennial celebration, Arts in the Parks.

Ferns at the Beech – This slope in Montgomery County, Indiana is found in Shades State Park, my favorite place for painting and seeking inspiration. The quality of the light in the woods is endlessly fascinating to me.

She is a Cardinal Fellow of the Watercolor Society of Indiana, and is also a member of the Indiana Artists Club, the Hoosier Salon Patron’s Association, the Indiana Heritage Arts and the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association.

Her artwork can be found in many private and public collections, including the Tippecanoe Courthouse permanent collection (Lafayette, IN), the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN), the Swope Museum of Art (Terre Haute, IN), St. Francis Hospital (Mooresville, IN), the Indiana Governor’s Residence Collection and the Indiana State Museum’s permanent collection. Jeanne’s paintings are displayed at the Brown County Art Guild in Nashville, IN and at Color Works Framing and Art Gallery, which she owns and operates in Mooresville, IN.

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