Jean Meyer
Contact Information
Education
Born and grew up in England.
B.A. Fine Art (Painting) Winchester School of Art, GB 1972
Art Teachers Cert. Brighton GB 1974
Studio Ceramics Course (1st Stage) Harrogate College Arts and Tech. GB 1990
Work Experience
While doing the briefest stint in an awful school as a student teacher of art I realised rightaway that I’d much rather make my living differently thank you – so I flew away to warmer climes and other teaching tactics – English language - which I reckon was a good move. I have lived and worked in Italy for nearly 30 years.
Artist's Statement
There are two sources for the pictures I make, two ‘nudges’ that get me reaching for a pencil or brush in reaction: one is the painful side of living, the other is the physical beauty that nonetheless accompanies us. Making pictures enables me to absorb and deal with the first (thus also rendering it less destructive). It also gives me the means of celebrating the second, in the best way I know how.
Sometimes I’ve left the painting path and veered off into writing, photography and ceramics. The sources are always the same and the different disciplines feed into one another, but in recent years I’ve come back onto the path.
The first ‘guardian angel’ started out as a tribute to my own, sorely over-worked personal one. The ‘details from…’ are a kind of ‘album of greatest hits’ – some of the bits I love from the painters I have admired. Some of the other works were never planned but took shape on their own as I began.
Exhibitions
None, apart from end-of-course ones. I have always had a conflictual relationship with the official ‘gallery world’, which no doubt arose out of the attempts at sexual blackmail I experienced as a student and immediately afterwards (I hope things have changed since then…), plus my own dislike of standing about with a glass in my hand and smiling. (Thank you womanmade – this way I can stay at home!)
Publications
In the 70s and 80s I contributed illustrations and writing to feminist magazines in GB. I have also illustrated a story book for children learning English.
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