If you asked Cover Artist Jeanie Edwards what she’s up to these days, she’ll say something like, “I’m painting German Shorthaired Pointer hunting dogs and Bobwhite Quail. The scene is on point. The dog, frozen, points straight to the scent of a covey’s hiding place.”
But when customers enter the door of Jeanie Edwards Fine Art Gallery, there’s an assumption a male artist has painted the dogs, hunting scenes, and animal portraits. We often think men do rough, and women do fluff. So when Jeanie tells them, “I painted the dogs and game,” customers are taken aback, followed by a blink and then a “Wow!”
Jeanie grew up on her mom’s farm of hunting dogs, waterfowl, the usual assemblage of chickens, and quarter horses managed and trained by her dad. Being surrounded by animals of two and four legs, of land, air, and water, Jeanie was delighted in her magical world. That’s why spirited and energetic painting comes naturally to her.
There were so many choices for her lifelong profession. She was fascinated with horses and rodeos and bird hunting and hunting dogs and painting. After all, she had to paint all these feathers and fur on canvas.
But along the way, there was a critical life challenge. While working with horses, she broke her neck, and it took a decade to sort out the cause and solution. In the midst of it all, she participated in pageants and competitions: Miss Rodeo USA and Miss Rodeo America. In 2002 she was Miss Rodeo Alabama.
Jeanie is a woman of determination. Riding, competing, painting, and more kept her spirit cranking, but her body was decelerating. She couldn’t stretch and paint across large canvases. She couldn’t ride the way she had before and could no longer push her neck to any degree. Her spinal cord was down to a thread, almost cut in two. She finally surrendered and quit painting for a while.
The good news: With time, care, and patience, she paints again almost all day long. She’s supremely grateful. She didn’t want her children to see her give up. And she has a new fascination, one that can give her a new kind of joy: Mahjong tiles. She has quite a few in her gallery and welcomes you to see them. Among new themes are heritage, hard candy, Frida Kahlo with Diego, her leg, and a cigarette. She can definitely relate to Kahlo’s pain, surgeries, and casts.
Everything’s accelerating now. While she takes care of herself, she also does her part to help Mother Earth. She encourages hunters to purchase Federal Duck Stamps. If you’re not familiar with duck stamps, we’re not talking about Daffy’s postage. While a Duck Stamp isn’t a hunting license, it is a federal requirement for waterfowl hunters ages 16 and older, who must also carry a valid state hunting license. Best of all, every stamp purchased helps protect vital wetland habitat for wildlife. Each stamp costs $25. Of that, $24.50, or 98 percent, goes to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Hunters and wetlands support each other. Hunters help manage flock numbers and keep habitats in balance, while money is collected for land conservation.
And guess who paints the ducks for stamps? Yep, fine artists like Jeanie.
This year she’s participating in the Wetumpka (Wewa) Wildlife Show and the Thomasville Wildlife Show. Next year, her focus turns to goals such as the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest and the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, pursuing a vision captured by Camille Corot’s oft-quoted words: “I dream my painting, and later I will paint my dream.”
Follow Jeanie’s dreams on Instagram. Visit her gallery at 223 South 4th Street in Highlands; phone: (828) 526-2933; Facebook: Jeanie Edwards Fine Arts; jeanie@jedwardsfineart.com.
Join us on Tuesday, October 20, at 5:30 P.M. at High Country Wine & Provisions to meet Jeanie and celebrate her Laurel cover.
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