ABOUT JEANNE DUNN
Jeanne Dunn is a Los Angeles painter who works from her studio in Inglewood. Her large-scale, painterly works celebrate the agency of trees, their role in mitigating climate change and maintaining healthy balance in forest ecology. She paints her arboreal giants as colorful bellwethers which ultimately, in their andromorphic forms, lend a provocative look at how humans are intertwined with nature.
Dunn’s work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe and is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), as well as private and corporate collections. She was included in several books including “The Artist Portrait Project: A Photographic Memoir of Portrait Sessions with San Diego Artists, 2006-2016,” by Jennifer G. Spencer (She Writes Press, 2018) and “Feminists Who Changed America,” by Barbara J. Love, ed. (University of Illinois Press, Urbana, and Chicago, 2006) and in The Huffington Post and other review publications. Fellowship grants to artist residencies include Maryland Institute College of Art (France), and the Hungarian Multicultural Center (Hungary).
She has a Masters degree in Fine Art and Painting from San Diego State University (SDSU) and a Bachelor of Art in Art / Art Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After living in San Diego for thirty years, and teaching art for fifteen years at SDSU, she relocated to Los Angeles in 2012.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I create visual allegories about nature by combining painting, photo prints, transparent overlay, and drawing, resulting in collages and paintings where trees whimsically engage with wildly differing counterparts. There appears to be a forest scene in an imagined locale, with exaggerated tree-like shapes and emotionally charged colors. Simplified forms carry on complex interactions. While my process is slow and layered, a range of results comes from a series of serendipitous actions. I photograph my paintings, change the photos into high-contrast black and white, and then make transparencies of these linear compositions on clear film. By layering and aligning painted papers under each transparency, I create new hybrid forms with just enough of the original structure to convey their identity. Employing a similar sequence with my large colorful paintings on canvas, the often-considerable scale dwarfs and surrounds the viewer, calling up imagined or remembered encounters with nature’s powerful and affective processes. Ideas of interconnection and mutual support as well as anthropomorphic associations are abundant and intended.
EDUCATION
M.A. in Fine Art / Painting, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
B.A. in Art and Art Education, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2024 | Forest Bathing, RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA |
| 2014 | Wild Walk, The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, CA |
| 2013 | Fifteen Minutes of Fame, time-based installation, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA |
| 2007 | Art Bakes No Bread, Bread & Cie, San Diego, CA |
| 2007 | Market Paintings, BorrelliSpace Gallery, San Diego, CA |
| 2002 | Pear Dance Series, Cambridge University, Clare Hall Graduate College, Cambridge, England |
| 2000 | New Work, Bread & Cie, San Diego, CA |
| 1999 | Pyrus Communis, The Hyde Gallery, Grossmont College, El Cajon, CA |
| 1997 | Recent Work, The Rachel Long Morgan Center, University of California, Irvine, CA |
| 1993 | Jeanne Dunn: New Work, Chester Workshop Gallery, San Diego, CA |
| 1991 | Water Lilies, L.G. Arts Complex, Lemon Grove, CA |
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 2024 | Fall Update 2024 - Group, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA |
| Spring 2024 - Group, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA, invitational by director Ron Stevenson | |
| Wander/Wonder, Boston Court, Pasadena, CA, curated by Stephanie Sherwood | |
| Some Trees, Baldwin Avenue Gallery, Sierra Madre, CA, curated by Peter Frank | |
| Brand 52, The Brand Library and Art Center, Glendale, CA, juror Shana Nys Dambrot |
| 2023 | Alphabet Soup, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA, director Ron Stevenson |
| Some Kind of Nature, Friends of Modern Art (FOMA), Santa Fe, New Mexico, curator Dominique Mazeaud | |
| Legacy: 25 Years of Art and Community, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA, curator Danielle Deery |
| 2022 | Legacy: 25 Years of Art and Community, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA, curator Danielle Deery | |
| Brand 50, The Brand Library and Art Center, Glendale, CA, juror Shannon Currie Holmes | ||
| Surrealism, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA) Santa Ana, CA, juror Andi Campognone | ||
| Kipaipai, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA, curator Andi Campognone |
| 2021 | Seeing Things, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA, director Ron Stevenson |
| Embodied Forest, virtual exhibition, Ecoartspace, Santa Fe, NM, juror Lilian Fraiji, Essays by Patricia Watts | |
| Anthropocene Epiphany, California Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, juror Erika Hirugami | |
| Pacific Views from the Collection, Oceanside Museum of Art /OMA West, Oceanside, CA, curator Katie Dolgov | |
| NOMAD Invitational, Del Amo Crossing Medical Center, Torrance, CA, curator Max Presneill |
| 2020 | That’s What Artists Do, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA, curator and director Ron Stevenson |
| Eco Consciousness (Virtual Exhibition and Catalogue), Ecoartspace, Santa Fe, NM, curator Eleanor Heartney | |
| We Are Here - Here We Are, Durden and Ray Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Sean Noyce and curatorial Team | |
| Collaborate and Create, Museum of Art and History, Lancaster CA, curator and director Andi Campognone | |
| Read Through Viewing, Central Library Gallery, San Diego, CA, curator Bonnie Domingos | |
| Endangered, California Center for the Arts Museum, Escondido, CA, curator Danielle Deery | |
| Nature and Environment, El Camino College Gallery, Torrance, CA, director curator Susanna Meiers | |
| Collaborate and Create, The Loft at Liz’s, Los Angeles, CA, curator Andi Campognone |
| 2019 | Lydia Takeshita Legacy Exhibition, LA Artcore, Los Angeles, CA, curator Lydia Takeshita, producer Pranay Reddy |
| LA Flora, LaunchLA, Los Angeles, CA, curator James Panozzo | |
| Beyond Redemption, LaunchLA, Los Angeles, CA, curator Aandrea Stang | |
| Intangible in Paint, Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, San Pedro, CA, curator Juri Koll | |
| Edge to Edge, Tartu Graphic Festival, Tartu, Estonia, curator Juri Koll |
| 2018 | The Artist Portrait Project: San Diego Artists 2006-2016, Central Library Art Gallery, San Diego, CA, curator Bobbie Xuereb |
| Grafiska Sällskapet, Stockholm, Sweden, curators Åsa Kvissberg, Anna Stump, and Kristine Schomaker | |
| Krogen Amerika Gallery, Linköping, Sweden, Äsa Kvissberg and Anna Stump, curators |
| 2017 | Ping Pong 2017, Miami Art Basel, Miami, FL, curators Peter Mays, USA, and Sue Irion, Basel, CH |
| Art in Place, Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (VICA) at Newberry Lofts, Long Beach, CA, curator Juri Koll | |
| Reality of Nature, LaunchLA, Los Angeles, CA, curator Kristine Schomaker | |
| User to User, Gallery 825, Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, CA, juror Bennett Roberts/Roberts Projects |
| 2016 | Faux Sho’: DADA100 Part 2, MuzeuMM, Los Angeles, CA, curator Kio Griffith |
| Night Stand, The Women’s Museum of California, San Diego, CA, curators Cindy Zimmerman and Anna Stump | |
| Our Selections from The Permanent Collection, Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) Oceanside, CA, curatorial team | |
| Gallery Tally Poster Project, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), originator Micol Hebron | |
| Be Here Now, Moorpark College Art Gallery, Moorpark, CA, curator Erika Lizée | |
| Groundswell, Groundspace, Los Angeles, CA, curator Mat Gleason | |
| You Are Here, Surrogate Gallery Projects, Pasadena, CA, curator Erika Lizée, director Holly Boruck | |
| Zero Down, exhibition and performances, 1019WEST Artist Studios, Inglewood, CA, curator Susan Amorde | |
| Migrations, Studios on the Park, Paso Robles, CA, curator Eve Chartrand |
| 2015 | Acquisitions from the Permanent Collection, Athenaeum Music and Arts Library Gallery, La Jolla, CA, curator Erika Torri |
| Art San Diego 2015: ART LAB, San Diego, CA, Booth: Feminist Image Group (FIG), curator Anna Stump | |
| Art San Diego 2015, San Diego, CA, Sergott Contemporary Art Alliance (SCAA), curator Tom Sergott | |
| Above Ground, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA, curator and director R.B. Stevenson | |
| B/W Black and White, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, juror Laura Watts, Honor Fraser Gallery | |
| Jars: A Crowd-Sourced Installation, Art Produce Gallery, San Diego, CA, curators Terri Hughes-Oelrich and Lynn Susholtz |
| 2014 | Art Miami/Miami Basel, Red Dot Art Fair, Booth: Sergott Contemporary Art Alliance,Miami, FL, director Tom Sergott |
| Art San Diego 2014, San Diego, CA, Booth: Sergott Contemporary Art Alliance (SCAA) | |
| South Bay Focus 2014, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA, juror Scott Canty | |
| Venice ArtWalk, Google, Venice, CA | |
| Nature Improved: San Diego Artists Interpret Our Landscape, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA, curator team | |
| Nature Improved, a collaboration with Oceanside Museum, San Diego History Center Museum, San Diego, CA | |
| Venice Art Family Walk + Clinic Auction 2014, Venice Family Clinic, Venice, CA |
| 2013 | La Lumière Fantastique: Brittany Shines in Baltimore, Maryland Institute College of Art, (MICA) Baltimore, MD |
| SDMA Summer Break Festival 2013: 15 Minutes of Fame, San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA | |
| Reaction: 1019, pop-up show, Beacon Arts Building, Inglewood, Los Angeles, CA, curator January Parkos Arnall | |
| Zero Down with 5790 Projects, 1019WEST Artist Studios, Inglewood, CA, curators; Catlin Moore, Mathew Gardocki, M. Zeka | |
| Women’s Day Virtual Exhibition, Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), Long Beach, CA, museum curatorial team | |
| GiftFeminist Image Group (FIG), San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, San Diego, CA, director Alessandra Moctezuma |
| 2012 | 21st Annual Juried Show, The Athenaeum, La Jolla, CA, jurors Jill Dawsey and Ben Strauss-Malcolm |
| Summer Soiree, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA, curators Danielle Susalla-Deery and director Daniel Foster | |
| Feeder by Feminist Image Group (FIG), Alternative Space Larry Caveney’s Garage, San Diego, CA, curator Anna Stump |
| 2011 | Intersection, San Diego State University Downtown Gallery, San Diego, CA, curator Catherine Gleason |
| What Women Want, play: “In the Next Room” by Feminist Image Group, Lyceum Theater, San Diego, CA, curator team | |
| Chain Letter, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, created by Jeffrey Crussell |
| 2010 | Five Artists in France by Maryland Institute College of Art, Musée Rochefort-en-Terre, Brittany, France, Christopher Shipley |
| Women by Women, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA, curated by Andrea Chamberlin | |
| Pure Painting 3, Pacific Beach Taylor Branch Library, San Diego, CA, curator Mark-Elliott Lugo | |
| Trade Show, Zirrat Bankasi Gallery, Ankara, Turkey, curators Anna Stump and Melike Tascioglu |
| 2009 | Body Narratives (Mesa College Museum Studies), New Americans Museum, San Diego, CA |
| Istanbul Biennial Exhibition-Takas Sergisi, Galeri Isik Istanbul (Satellite Venues), Istanbul, Turkey, curator Anna Stump | |
| Art Residency Exhibition, Museum of Trade, Hungarian Cultural Center, Budapest, Hungary, curator Beata Szechy | |
| CA Trade Show: Los Angeles – Istanbul – Eskisehir - Ankara, Edgar Varela Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA, curator Anna Stump | |
| CA Still Life Now, Fullerton College Gallery, Fullerton, CA, curator-director Beth Solomon-Marino |
| 2008 | Foodish Art Invitational, Éclipse Chocolat Cafe, San Diego, CA, curator-director Terri Hughes-Oelrich |
| 2007 | Re-Covery: 26 Artists Re-Imagine 26 Books, Brighton Press, San Diego, CA, curator Bill Kelly |
| A Sense of Taste Invitational, Éclipse Chocolat, San Diego, CA, curator Terri Hughes-Oelrich |
| 2006 | 15th Annual Exhibition, Athenaeum Music and Arts Library Gallery, La Jolla, CA, curatorial team |
| 2004 | Too Funny for Words: Art that Tickles the Funny Bone, ArtForms Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, juror Tony Auth |
TEACHING EXPERIENCES
2007-2008 University of California at San Diego, Visual Arts Dept. Extension (UCSD) Painting, Life Drawing
1997-2012 School of Art and Design at San Diego State University (SDSU) Painting, Life Drawing, Design
PUBLIC LECTURES
2020 “Tree Talk: Artists Speak For Trees,” Moderator Sant Khalsa (ecoartspace.org), Dec. 17, 2020, Watch the video
2018 “Studio Practice: Ideas and Methods,” Crenshaw View Park High School, Los Angeles, CA
2013 “Contemporary Issues in Art,” Professor Catherine Gleason, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
2009 “Sequences and Consequences,” Hungarian Multicultural Center, Budapest, Hungary
2007 “Serious Drawing,“ Mira Costa College, Professor Allison Renshaw students, Encinitas, CA
2003 “A Day in the Life of a Studio Artist in California,” Humanities Class Students, University of Tula, Tula, Russia
2000 “The Fruits of Relationship,” Schulman Auditorium, William D. Cannon Library, Carlsbad, CA
1999 “A Short History of the Still Life,” Hyde Gallery, El Cajon, CA
1998 "California Painters of the 1990's,” The Byam Shaw College of Art, London, England
1996 Speakers Bureau, Combined Organizations of the Visual Arts, San Diego, CA
1992 "An Artist Views Her Work," Master of Arts, Liberal Arts and Sciences Colloquium, San Diego State University, CA
COMMISSIONS
City of Inglewood Public Art: The Art of Trees, one of three finalists, 2022 Inglewood, Los Angeles, CA
UrbanWorks: Rogers Consulting Group, and the City of San Diego, CA
Sony ArtWalk 2000: Lindbergh Field International Airport; Childrens’ Museum, San Diego, CA
Stu Segall Productions, San Diego, CA
Hungry Hunter Restaurants, San Diego, CA
Nationally televised Honda commercial. Barndog Productions and Tuesday Films, Encino, CA
Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel, San Diego, CA
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA
ART UK, formerly The Public Catalog Foundation, London, England
City of Inglewood, Los Angeles, CA
The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, La Jolla, CA
Clare Hall College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England
Malcolm Love Library, San Diego State University, CA
Brydegaard Memorial Collection, San Diego State University, CA
Bowman Marnell Corrao Associates, Las Vegas, NV
Britannia Towers, Nassau, The Bahamas
Magellan Software, Irvine, CA
The Hungarian Multicultural Center (HMC), Budapest, Hungary
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
2015 Gallery HArt Fusion Exhibition Honorable Mention, Hawthorne CA
2012 The Athenaeum 21st Annual Juried Exhibition, Honorable Mention, La Jolla, CA
2010 Klots Foundation and Maryland Institute of Art Artist Residency Program Grant, Rochefort-en-Terre, Brittany, France
2009 Hungarian Multi-Cultural Center, Artist in Residency Program, Budapest, Hungary
2002 Palm Springs Desert Museum, Stuart Award, 33rd Annual National Juried Exhibition, Palm Springs CA
2001 SDSU School of Art, Design and Art History Travel Grant for solo show in Cambridge, England
2000 Gallery 21, Small Image Show, S. L. Sun Memorial Purchase Award, San Diego, CA
BOOKS AND CATALOGS
Legacy: 25 Years of Art and Community, Exhibition Catalog with essays by Curator Danielle Deery and Executive Director Maria Mingalone, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA 2023
Embodied Forest by Patricia Watts, Santa Fe, NM 2021. 264 pp. ISBN 978-0-578-97453-8. www.ecoartspace.org
Eco Consciousness, Catalog, www.ecoartspace.org, Patricia Watts, 2020
The Artist Portrait Project: A Photographic Memoir of Portrait Sessions with San Diego Artists, 2006-2016, by Jennifer G. Spencer, She Writes Press, Tempe, Arizona, 2018, 117pp
Venice: 2017, annotated exhibition catalog with essay by Juri Koll, Venice Institute of Contemporary Art, ViCA, 2018
Nature Improved: San Diego Artists Interpret Our Landscape, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA, Essay by Bram Dijkstra, 2013
Feminists Who Changed America, Barbara J. Love, ed., University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 2006, 526 pp.
ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
Jeanne Dunn Walks on the Wild Side at RB Stevenson by Patricia Frischer, SD Visual Arts, September 19, 2024
A lasting 'Legacy': The Oceanside Museum of Art celebrates 25 years with dual exhibitions of iconic works by Seth Combs, The San Diego Union Tribune, January 15, 2023
Essential Arts: To Spend, or not to spend, the museum endowment by Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, May 16, 2020
This Weekend, Durden and Ray Puts Art on the Map by Genie Davis, Art and Cake LA, May 15, 2020
Collaborate and Create at Loft at Liz’s by Betty Ann Brown, Art and Cake LA, February 7, 2020
Inglewood Open Studios: Fresh Work, SoCal Feel by Genie Davis, Art and Cake LA, November 24, 2018
Art Aplenty To Be Thankful For: Castelli Art Space, Keystone, Inglewood, LACDA by Genie Davis, Artillery Magazine, November 15, 2018
En Feministisk Manifestation,” OmKonst: Konstnärner Skriver Om Konst by Leif Mattson, Stockholm, Sweden, June 6, 2018
The Reality of Nature at LaunchLA by Genie Davis in DiversionsLA, September 29, 2017
Forest Bathing at LaunchLA by Betty Ann Brown, Art and Cake, September 15, 2017