People ask me when I first knew I had this strong love for art and my memory goes back to when I was 3 years old with a cast on my leg. My little brother was taking precious crayons from me as I tried to create some sort of masterpiece. To protect them, I shoved each one down my cast and they remained there safely until the day the doctor removed it. "There's my colors", I excitedly announced.

My first priority- My family. Jeff is the greatest supporter and deserves half the credit for all I accomplish. We are blessed with Jenna, a 2012 med school graduate who is a resident physician (OB/Gyn) at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Cole is a sophmore at Crofton High School.

      Through the years, I worked at capturing the colors and shapes of the world around me but it remained only a hobby in my spare time. I worked as a commercial artist for a local newspaper and magazine for 10 years until a series of events changed my life.
      In 1989 and 1990, my husband Jeff and I lost two little daughters to a genetic disorder known as Infantile Progressive Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Werdnig-Hofman Disease). It was then that I decided to pursue this desire.
      With Jeff's encouragement, I began to paint in earnest. What I paint is a reflection of things that mean the most to me. Since we have always farmed and lived here in northeast Nebraska, we are surrounded by wide-open sky, rolling hills, creeks, animals

Jolene welcomes guests to her home gallery and studio anytime by appointment.

and beautiful wild flowers along with those in my garden. The innocence of children in everyday life especially touches my heart. Our daughter, Jenna who was four when she lost her sisters, has been the focal point of many pieces. We have since been blessed with a healthy son, Cole in 1996, and he also appears in some favorites.
     Oil and watercolor are the two mediums in which I have chosen to work. They allow me to be versatile in capturing the various moods of the subject I am painting. Since I am a self-taught artist, there are always new techniques to learn. God has blessed me with a certain amount of ability and I feel as an individual that it is my responsibility to develop his faith in me. By attending workshops from different professional artists, reading books, watching videos and studying works of many artists, I have gained knowledge.

Inside the gallery.

     In all that I do, Jeff is not far away encouraging me, helping any way he can between his chores whether it be constructing a sturdy new easel, helping with framing and whatever it is to make things run smoothly. We enjoy traveling as a family, to the largest area summer art shows in the Midwest where we display and sell my original work along with over 55 limited edition prints. We both find it very gratifying to meet so many interesting people along the way.
     I want to personally take this means to thank you for your interest in my work. Each of us is uniquely gifted and I am fortunate to be blessed by God with a gift I can share visually. I am grateful for people like you who make it possible for me to continue growing and doing what I so love.