About the Artist
Get to Know Jean
A Late Life Painter
Jean Frey was born and raised in Beaver, PA where art was her favorite subject throughout her school years. She made her career in education in Fairfax County, VA. During her work as a general elementary classroom teacher, a curriculum specialist, and as a principal of an elementary magnet school for the arts and sciences, she continued learning how to use art to help students understand content and express that knowledge. After retiring, Jean moved back to Beaver and began studying painting in Carol Begley’s Atelier. She currently lives in Fayetteville, PA with her husband of 50 +years.
Jean paints primarily in oil and pastel, but also sketches and draws in charcoal and pen and ink. While she enjoys painting in her studio, she discovered the joys of plein air painting several years ago. She was bitten by this bug so much that she started a plein air painting group known as the Mountain Valley Plein Air Painters. This group paints outdoors at a variety of locations in South Central Pennsylvania every week from May to late October. Jean was fortunate to spend many winters in the Florida Keys and many of her paintings reflect the tropical vibe of the Keys.
Her work is influenced by the Impressionists, the Expressive Realists, and the teachers with whom she has been fortunate to study: Carol Begley, PSA, Laurie McKelvie, Kathleen Denis, Thomas Kitts, Michelle Byrne,and Tara Will.
Jean’s work has been featured at the Chambersburg (PA) Council for the Arts, Waynesboro (PA) Gallery 42, and Gallery 50, Chambersburg (PA) Hospital, Grove Family Library, Midland (PA) Arts Council Summer Gallery, and at the Old Red Barn Plein Air Exhibit in Mont Alto, PA.
Jean was honored to become a Signature Member of the Maryland Pastel Society and was juried into the Shades of Pastel Exhibition 2025. Her pastels have been juried into the Cumberland Valley Artist Exhibition, 2023 and in the 2025 exhibition in honor of America's 250th birthday.
Jean has received awards in the following exhibits:
The Waynesboro Studio Club Clothesline Exhibit: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
The Franklin County Art Alliance Annual Exhibit: 2016, 2017, 2018, 1019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
The Art Guild of the Purple Isles Annual Exhibit: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Jean’s work can be found at The Foundry (Chambersburg, PA), Carlisle Arts Learning Center (Carlisle, PA), and Vault of Visions (Frederick, MD)
