Jeanette Le Grue
The painter Jeanette Le Grue was born and raised on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The midnight suns, long days of darkness, and dramatic colors of her childhood inspired her to create uniquely powerful and dramatic work. She moved to California in 1980, and now lives, paints, and operates the F.I.S.H. School of Color, in the small town of Tomales, near the coast of Northern California.
Jeanette shows her work in galleries and museums throughout the United States. She has been the subject of feature articles in Southwest Art Magazine, American Artist Magazine, and Plein Air Scene. She has received numerous awards, including First Place in the American Impressionist Society’s National Show, the Irvine Museum Award at the Hawaii Plein Air Event, the Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition, and the Helen De Cozen Award at the American Artists Grand National Exhibition in New York.
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I paint in oil in bold fresh color. My subjects include still lifes, figures, interior scenes, garden settings, and landscapes. But my work is not really about the subject itself. I am more interested in trying to capture the essence of my subject through the lush, luminous, sensual medium of oil paint.
I paint both in the studio and en plein air. I am inspired by moody days on the water, or patterns of light and dark in the landscape. I try to express the mood or feeling of what I see. I like to paint loose, with large brushes, and apply large spots of color. Although I paint loose, I work within a strong abstract design. I create unusual compositions, sometimes breaking up the frame so that objects are cut off at an odd angle. I see myself as a detective trying to capture the vitality or diversity of a scene. I love patterns of reflected light and subtle nuances of color. I am always experimenting, looking for new ways to express my perceptions and feelings.
The painters who have inspired and influenced me include such masters as Sergei Bongart, Charles Hawthorne, Joaquin Sorolla, and Franz Bischoff. They have helped me develop my own approach to color and light.
American Impressionist Society (Signature Member)
California Art Club, Artist Member
Oil Painters of America
Santa Rosa Junior College and Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA)
Professional training with artists Neil Epps, Don Ricks, Kevin Macpherson, and Charles Movalli
2010 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2010 American Impressionist Society, 11th National Exhibition, Richland Fine Art, Nashville, TN
2009 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2009 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2008 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2008 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2008 American Impressionist Society, Annual National Juried Exhibition, Cody Fine Art Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
2007 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2007 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2006 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2006 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2006 Featured Artist, Lee Youngman Gallery, Calistoga, CA
2006 Oil Painters of America 15th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT
2005 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2005 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2005 Solo Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2005 Oil Painters of America 14th annual National Juried Exhibition, Chicago, IL
2004 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2004 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2004 En Couleur Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2003 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2003 Napa Valley Museum, Biennial Juried Plein Air Exhibition, Napa, CA
2003 En Couleur Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2003 Plein Air Painters in the Foothills, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2002 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2002 En Couleur Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2002 Plein Air Painters in the Foothills, Vault Gallery, Sonora, CA
2002 Still Life Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2001 Pasadena Museum of Art, California Art Club 99th Gold Medal Exhibition, Pasadena, CA
2001 En Couleur Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2001 American Impressionist Society, Annual Juried Exhibition, Point Reyes Station, CA
2000 Solo Exhibition, William Lester Gallery, Point Reyes Station, CA
2000 American Artist Professional League, Grand National Exhibition, New York, NY
2000 Two Person Exhibition, Gallery One, Mendocino, CA
2009 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2009 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2008 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2008 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2007 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2007 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2007 Laguna Plein Air Invitational, Laguna, CA
2006 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2006 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2006 Laguna Plein Air Invitational, Laguna, CA
2006 Hawaii Plein Air, Maui, HI
2005 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2005 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2005 Sedona Plein Air, Sedona, AZ
2005 San Luis Obispo Art Festival, San Luis Obispo, CA
2005 Laguna Plein Air Invitational, Laguna, CA
2005 Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA
2004 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2004 Telluride Plein Air Invitational, Telluride, CO
2004 Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA
2004 Airlie Gardens Plein Air Invitational, Wilmington, NC
2004 Point Reyes Paint Out, Point Reyes, CA
2003 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2003 Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA
2003 Mission San Juan Capistrano CAC Plein Air Event, San Juan Capistrano, CA
2002 Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2002 Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA
2002 Mission San Juan Capistrano CAC Plein Air Event, San Juan Capistrano, CA
2008 First Place, American Impressionist Society, Ninth Annual National Juried Exhibition, Cody Fine Art Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
2008 Award of Excellence, Telluride Plein Air, Telluride, CO
2008 Honorable Mention, Best of Plein Air, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 Irvine Museum Award, Hawaii Plein Air Event, Maui, HI
2006 Third Place, Point Reyes Plein Air, Point Reyes Station, CA
2005 Award of Excellence, Oil Painters of America, National Juried Exhibition, Chicago, IL
2005 Second Place, San Luis Obispo Plein Air Event, San Luis Obispo, CA
2003 Artists Choice Award, Sonoma Plein Air, Sonoma, CA
2003 Second Place, San Juan Capistrano CAC Plein Air Event, San Juan Capistrano, CA
2001 Honorable Mention, American Impressionist Society, Annual National Juried Exhibition, Point Reyes Station, CA
1998 Helen De Cozen Award, American Artist Professional League Grand National Exhibition, New York, NY
2009 My World—A Visit with Jeanette Le Grue, November Issue, Southwest Art Magazine
2006 High Drama, Feature Article, October Collector’s Issue, Southwest Art Magazine
2003 Featured Artist, June, Plein Air Scene
2001 Artists to Watch, June, Southwest Art Magazine
2001 Best of the West, May, Southwest Art Magazine
2001 Clarifying Color, American Artist Magazine Special Edition
Troika Gallery, Easton, MD
Tomales Fine Art, Tomales, CA
Debra Huse Gallery, Balboa Island, CA
Portico Gallery, Montecito, CA