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Jean Gray Drake is a
28-year-old artist from North Carolina. She has been drawn to art
her entire life. When age four, she asked her art teachers if she
could draw everyone in her class. While the others napped, she did
so – not missing a student or a teacher. And when waiting in
line at ice cream stores, Jean Gray used to grab a pencil out of her
mom’s purse and start sketching on napkins. When her mom would
stare at lots of white paint chips thinking they were all the same,
Jean Gray could easily discern the different hues immediately. Before
the age of five, she profoundly declared to her mom . . . “But,
Mom, I am art!”
Surely art is not all crayons and confection. As with many artists, Jean Gray has lived an entire lifetime in her short 28 years. Her solid education foundation, her gift of color and placement and especially her “old soul” – all of these impact her art. Her strength is in oil painting and in drawing with pencil. Her gifts are color and shading. And just as her often-worn t-shirt states “Good art won’t match your sofa,” Jean Gray does not paint to please the audience. Instead she connects with her life experience, placing it boldly on the canvas in bright intricate colors and confident shapes. Her work draws you in. Jean Gray began private art lessons at age 10, studying oils and pastels under an accomplished painter. In elementary school, an art award was established to honor her enthusiasm. She continued to paint and draw throughout school – earning the prestigious Abbott Cup Award in high school from Millbrook in New York state – an award that is only given when applicable to an individual who impacted all aspects of the arts at the school. Jean Gray received a BFA from Georgia Southern University in December of 2002. Upon graduation, she decided to pack her bags and move out west. She settled into the northwest and lived there for two years. There she enriched the lives of at-risk youth with a variety of creative programs she developed and taught. Recently, Jean Gray moved to Swainsboro, GA to collaborate and continue working with the StillmoreRoots Group, www.stillmoreroots.com, an artist group she has been a part of since 2002. The StillmoreRoots Group exists to sponsor art events that display their commitment to create not only challenging, accessible art, but also an environment that inspires community involvement and experience that provokes thought, dialogue and new relationships.
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