This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| The following biography, submitted January 2006, is from Jeffrey Beaudry, son of the artist.
Jeanne Stauffer Beaudry
Born: August 21, 1917 in Bethlehem, PA
Resided in: Pennsylvania, Washington
Jeanne Stauffer Beaudry, currently living in Washington State,
exhibited a strong desire to paint from an early age. Her
landscape paintings display the influence of her mentor, Walter Emerson
Baum, and are characterized as part of the Pennsylvania School of
Impressionists. W. E. Baum, a leader of the Pennsylvania School
of Impressionists, instilled his passion for painting landscapes in
her, and she developed a substantial body of realistic still life,
figure painting and portraiture.
Jeanne Beaudry’s artistic vision was forged at the Kline Baum School
from 1931 to 1935, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The work of the
artists in this school concentrated on natural observations of typical
scenes-rivers, barns, factories, houses, and streets; people are
inhabitants of the landscape, not central features. Walter
Emerson Baum modeled his passion for direct, natural observation,
frequently taking his students outdoors, even encouraging “plein aire”
painting of snow scenes, a signature subject.
Subjects for her numerous landscape paintings reflect a personal
odyssey. Her husband, Colonel Stephen J. Beaudry, was a career
Army officer, moving his family of four children and Jeanne’s studio
every three years from 1945 to 1969. In each location Jeanne
sought out visual possibilities - street and coastal scenes and country
roads in Panama; churches, the quay in Porto Fino, Italy; and rugged
coastlines, mountains and forests in Washington. She displays a
naturalistic view of the landscapes, rendering lively, chaotic scenes
with her artistic sense of selection and composition.
Still life and portraiture are other distinctive features of Jeanne
Beaudry’s art work, shaped by a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at
Syracuse University (1939). Disciplined study led to technical
mastery of charcoal, oils, and watercolor in the style of the
traditional Masters like Cezanne, Degas. She received the Hiram
Gee Fellowship upon graduation in 1939, followed by study at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She returned to Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania taught art at the Moravian Preparatory School, completed
commissioned portraits, and married in June, 1941. Portraits by
Jeanne Beaudry were in demand by friends, family and acquaintances
throughout her career. Major commissioned work consists of
General Harry Clay Trexler at the Americus Hotel (1945), Allentown,
Pennsylvania, and the Honorable Judge David Chavez, Jr., in the New
Mexico Supreme Court Building (1974) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She experimented with a variety of media. Originally trained in
oils, charcoal, and watercolors; after the 1960’s she worked with
acrylics, collage, and cloth banners. One of the pen-and-ink
illustrations, Bohios, for the book, The Pelican Tree and Other Panama Adventures
(1953), received an award from the Pen Women Society in 1954. A
series of cloth banners represent her significant, personal commitment
to her Christian faith, and are displayed at the Bellevue Presbyterian
Church. Jeanne studied with other notable painters, Juan Manuel
Cedeno in Panama and Lothar Schall in Stuttgart, Germany. She
continually gave back to her community as a teacher, setting up studios
and encouraging personal artistic expression in adults and
children. She developed small, vibrant communities of artists in
Panama, Washington, D.C., West Point, New York, Stuttgart, Germany, and
Bellevue, Washington.
ART EDUCATION
Fall, 1931- Kline Baum School of Art (later named
Walter Emerson Baum School of 1935
Art)
Fall, 1934 – Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting, Syracuse University. Graduated Cum
Spring, 1939 Laude
EXHIBITIONS
1939 Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania
1940 Lehigh University, Allentown, Pennsylvania
1941 National Art Club, New York City
1953 Tivoli Hotel, National Pen Women Association, Canal Zone, Panama
1954 Universidad de Panama, Panama
1959 Art Shop and Gallery, Silver Spring, Maryland
1962 United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
1969 Canyon Road Art Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1979 Gallery Mack, N.W., Seattle, Washington
1982 Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
1983 Retrospective Exhibition, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, Pueblo, Colorado
AWARDS
1934 & 1935 National High School Scholastic Awards for Art
1939 Hiram Gee Fellowship, Syracuse University
1954 Pen Woman Award for Illustration
PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY
Portrait of General Harry Clay Trexler, Feb. 14, 1945, at Americus Hotel, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Portrait of Chief Justice David Chavez, Jr., July 23, 1974, at Supreme Court Building, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Annual Christmas Cards (1983 - 1991), Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Guild, Seattle, Washington
REFERENCES
Book Illustrated
1953 Illustrated Pelican Tree and Other Panama Adventures published by North River Press, New York (Bailey, J., Markun, P., Lamb. E.)
Published References
“General Henry Clay Trexler,” (1944). The Kline-Baum Art School Sixteenth Annual Report, p. 2.
Harvey, Betty, (Fall, 1982). “Jeanne Stauffer Beaudry,” Artists of the Rockies and the Golden West, (9)4, p. 112-117.
Hutson-Saxton, Martha, (1996). Walter Emerson Baum: Pennsylvania
Artist and Founder of the Baum School of Art and Allentown Art
Museum. Cited as Lehigh Valley Artists Associated with the Baum
School of Art (1929-1956). Page 211.
Beaudry, Kea M. (Spring, 1992). In the heart of a pink carnation. The Crescent of Gamma Phi Beta.
Newspaper References
“Forever Enshrined,” The Crescent, May, 1939.
“Private Showing of Paintings at Art Museum/Jeanne Stauffer/First Teacher Shares Triumph,” The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa., June 24, 1939, 12.
“Unveil portrait in Americus Hotel Ballroom dedicated anew as General Trexler Room,” The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, February 14, 1945.
“Girl Who Painted Trexler Portrait, Wife and Mother,” The Morning Call-Chronicle, Allentown, PA, March 10, 1946.
“Jeanne Beaudry Illustrates Book,” The Cortland Standard, Cortland, NY, October 12, 1953, 2.
“CZ Children’s Art Show Brings Out the Adults,” The Sunday American, Panama, Canal Zone, November 1, 1953, 1.
“Prince Charles Has Book Illustrated by Jeanne Beaudry,” The Cortland Standard, Cortland, NY, February 11, 1954.
“Just Be Yourself, This Artist’s Creed,” The San Antonio Light, San Antonio, TX, Claudia Poff, May 2, 1956.
“Jeanne Beaudry Paintings at Art Shop,” The Record, Silver Spring, MD, December 10, 1959, 11.
“Family Life’s An Art,” The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Maxine Cheshire, December 13, 1959, F39.
“West Point artist paints as an audience watches,” Pointer View, West Point, NY, Mrs. Gordon Hutchins, March 1, 1963.
“Various media exhibit at Jean Seth’s Gallery,” The New Mexican, Santa Fe, NM, July 10, 1972.
“Artist Shares Her Talents With Her Church,” Bellevue American, Bellevue, Washington, Connie Beals, August 23, 1972, 17.
“A Busy Creative Life,” The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA, Dorothy Brant Brazier, September 20, 1972, C4.
“Frye Shows a Little Bit of a Lot of Things,” The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA, Delores Tarzan, June 20, 1975, Tempo, p. 3.
“Beaudry’s Paintings Reflection of Change,” Bellevue American, Bellevue, WA, June 21, 1975.
“Local Artists Donate Works,” Bellevue American, Bellevue, WA, October 30, 1975.
“They Build Their Banners From Scraps,” Journal American, Bellevue, WA, November 10, 1979, A7.
“Church Banners,” A.D., February, 1981.
“Featured in Art Magazine,” October 27, 1982.
“Artists works grace Children’s Hospital cards,” Journal American, Bellevue, WA, November 6, 1990.
“3 Eastsider’s Artwork Selected for Hospital Christmas Greetings,” Journal American, Bellevue, WA, Cheryl Murfin, December 14, 1991.
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