“ There is no way to adequately reproduce the beauty in a child’s face or the wonder of nature. But I feel very fortunate to be able to create a close approximation. I am truly humbled by what happens to a sunbeam as it filters through the cracks in the barn siding and illuminates the interior. I wish I could exactly reproduce that beauty but I have to be satisfied to come close, and keep trying. It pleases me when my paintings make people happy. When my painting causes you to remember a special person or place or time I feel very privileged. I hope that you will continue to be pleased by my efforts. ”

Jean Gauld-Jaeger received training in decorative art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She exhibited her decorative art pieces in Chicago from 1963 to 1969, during which time she also taught decorative art classes there and afterwards, in Birmingham, Alabama until 1978.

Following her academic studies at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (BS in Social Work) and the University of Cincinnati (MS in Health Planning and Administration), Mrs. Gauld-Jaeger began a long professional career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as Director of the Department of Patient Affairs from 1978 to 2003.

Near the end of her professional employment, Mrs. Gauld-Jaeger began studying fine art with well-respected portrait artist Michael Shane Neal, Roger Dale Brown, Jason Saunders, Dawn Whitelaw and many others. She continues to teach group painting classes and workshops in both her studio and other locations and has students studying with her on an ongoing basis.

Mrs. Gauld-Jaeger is President of The Chestnut Group, an important group of Middle-Tennessee artists who capture the beauty of the Tennessee landscape in their artwork and raise funds to protect significant historical and natural sites in Tennessee; a member of The Portrait Society of America, The Nashville Artists Guild and the Oil Painters of America; and Gallery Chairperson and Vice President for the Tennessee Art League. A recipient of numerous awards for her portraits and landscapes, her oil paintings may be seen in the Tennessee Art League, Garden Delights in Franklin, The Retreat at Brentwood, and Midtown Gallery and Framers in Nashville.