Jean Lannen lives and works just south of San Francisco, in Pacifica, California. She received her BFA in photography from the Center For Creative Studies, in Detroit. For the last 20 years, Jean has been creating photographs for both commercial and fine art clients.

“I fell in love with B&W photography and went to Art School. You couldn’t keep me out of the darkroom. I spent years in there, experimenting and breaking the rules. I use to paint the developer and fixer onto the paper (with my hands), and then cut up the prints and finally hand colored them. There were NO COMPUTERS in the schools yet, it was all “hands on” and embracing the true CRAFT of photography and REAL FILM. It was all very exciting. I felt like a mad scientist, who constantly asked questions and broke boundaries. After graduation, I worked at a commercial photo studio. We had the best of times!”

Jean’s new art work usually starts with the creation of an original photograph. She creates either a traditional or digital print and then alters it with mixed media. She is attracted to the concepts of nostalgia, finds beauty in decay and loves abandoned artifacts, dolls and toys. The “Doll Portraits” are basically self portraits.

 “I’m very attracted to the concept of “another time/another place”. I embrace the element of surprise and let my intuition guide me. Satisfaction comes when I create work that has a feeling of personal herstory. It sometimes feels like I’m making new work, in my present now, that was really from my past, that I buried and forgot about. It’s like a treasure hunt, only without pirates. But, there is rum.”

http://www.JeanLannenImages.com

http://www.TheOtherJean.com

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