Artist Statement:
A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry and
see a fine picture every day in order that the world cares
may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful
which God has implanted in the human soul.
—Goethe
My husband learned very early in our marriage that at least once a year I needed to get to the sea to breathe the salt air and feel the sand between my toes. I was fortunate to grow up on the ocean. The beach was my backyard, my dolls and tea cups often washed away with the tide; and my imagination placed me on the jetty as a mermaid. Of course, my favorite childhood poem was Robert Lewis Stevenson’s At the Seaside. Once married, it was hard in places we lived, such as Ouagadougou in the Sub Sahara desert; but somehow, my husband always found a way to nurture my need for the sea at least once a year.
But the sea is more than sandcastles, and shells. It is the sound of the waves roaring as you fall into sleep; the meditative state you may slip into as you stare out onto the deep blue of the ocean. It is the peaceful feeling of letting go of the intrusive sounds in one’s daily life. It wakes your awareness through all of your senses.
Today I am fortunate to again live on the ocean. I love watching its moods which change from hour to hour and day to day. But, most important —it is where I have conversations with God. It is where I thank Him for so many blessings in my life; where I ask Him what He is expecting of me; and where I ask Him to touch those I know and love and some who I do not know with His presence. It is where I feel His presence in my life and where I can take the uninterrupted time to listen to His words.
God blessed me and my family, and indeed all of creation, when he created the land and the seas.
“Til my soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea.
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
from the poem
“The Secret of the Sea”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Bio: From 1976 to 2000, Jeanne traveled, lived and raised four children overseas in 5 African countries and 2 Eastern European countries while Donn, her husband served as a Diplomat in the Foreign Service. She found her own niche working for the State Department in a job which allowed her to learn about the cultures she was living in while helping other Americans adjust to those foreign cultures. In 2001, she was honored to receive the United States Department of State M. Juanita Guess Award, as the best Community Liaison Officer worldwide, given to her by then Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
Jeanne received her B.A. degree in 1969 from Florida Atlantic University where she studied Art and Speech Communications. She studied oil painting for three years under a master artist, owned an art gallery and studied gallery installation. When possible, she taught art in public schools, international schools and privately; and developed art curriculum for the College of William and Mary’s gifted and talented program. In 2017, Jeanne received an Honorary Degree from The College of William and Mary. She is a published author to Losing Todd: A Mother’s Journey; and illustrator to a children’s book, Animals That Come From All Around Our Wonderful World.
In recent years, Jeanne has designed 4 monuments. Three stand in the Monument Plaza at the Veterans Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The fourth sits in the Monument Walk of the National Cemetery of Cape Canaveral in Scottsmoor, FL.
Today, Jeanne sits on the National Board of the Episcopal Church Visual Arts Organization; she is Resident Artist at St. David’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in Cocoa Beach, FL; and she paints on commission. She is always willing to create an original painting for someone looking for something special. www.jeanneweaverartist.com
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