Michaela Jean is an accomplished painter, devoted gardener, and mother. Her lifelong passion for art and nature began in her childhood, enchanted by her grandfather's garden and the Pacific Ocean's waves.
Jean oscillates between oil painting and mixed media, focusing on watercolor. She paints in her barn studio, situated in her cottage garden. Her artwork calls viewers to reconnect with nature, celebrating the bond between humans and the Earth and evoking a sense of wonder.
Jean’s journey into art solidified while working at an art museum, where she decided to create her own work. Her style combines rapid loose strokes and fine lining, often mixing watercolor with wax pastels, markers, and colored pencils.
Motherhood significantly shapes her art, bringing whimsical elements that express childlike wonder. After experiencing postpartum depression and the loss of loved ones, gardening became her healing process and the backbone of her art.
Nature, particularly the ocean, the heavens, and her garden, inspires her. She also draws from creative heroes like Claude Monet, Beatrix Potter, and Emily Dickinson. Through her art, Jean invites us to see the world with renewed curiosity, striving to remind us of the beauty and interconnectedness of life on our planet.
Some of Jean's notable achievements include efforts to reconnect women with nature and enhance their creativity. She also participated in the Nes Artist Residency in Iceland, a significant milestone in her career.
