Jean Stephenson
In Memoriam
It’s with love in our hearts that we say goodbye to our dear friend, Jean Stephenson. Jean was a founding member of the gallery and was the President of Art By the Sea from 2012 until last year. Jean passed away on December 30 after having recently moving to Vancouver, Washington in able to be closer to her family.
Jean was a dynamic woman that had a fiery spirit, a love for life and an adventurous spirit. She was an accomplished artist and teacher who touched and enhanced the lives of many. She has been instrumental in making Art by the Sea a success over the past years and volunteered her time unselfishly to help others in the community. Jean has always been a respected mentor and cornerstone of our gallery. She will be dearly missed by all of us, and by all of those whose lives she touched.
Jean’s previous Gallery Bio:
I was born and brought up in Illinois. My husband and I met while attending the University of Illinois. Upon his graduation, his job took us to California. And, we started our family. Between pregnancies, I took classes at our local community college...taking many art classes. We were transferred to Tucson, Arizona then back to Long Beach, California. On our return I was part of an art group and we would have monthly critiques, classes, and shows.
Our next transfer was to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There I attended the Alberta College of Art. While attending there, a friend asked if I would take a pottery class with her as she had always wanted to do it, and I did. I loved it and continued with it. Upon returning to California, I started a studio and continued studying and sometimes teaching.
We bought some land in Langlois where I could raku and do different kinds of firing without having to warn the neighbors first. We built our home—my studio was was in the garage and then built a wonderful studio. We loved and love it here. After more than twenty-five years of potting, my wrists couldn’t continue so back to painting I happily went.
