Gallery on Main's "Artist of the Month" series continues with an exhibition of paintings by lifelong New Jersey resident Jean Best, on view December 1 through 30. Admission is free, and Best’s works are available for purchase.

Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, December 3, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

Contemporary painter Jean Best began her artistic career in the publishing field, creating numerous magazine and children’s book illustrations, as well as book jacket designs. She quickly embraced the medium of watercolor, where her impressionistic style of painting integrates the dramatic interplay of light, shadow and color.

Recently, Jean Best has exclusively been exploring acrylic pour art, which is elevated by her illustrative skill. Her use of magical patterns spill across the page and envelop the eye with vibrant hues and riot of colors. Her works have been featured in numerous solo shows and various group exhibitions and extensive outdoor shows throughout the local area.

Says the artist, “Painting in this moment is the connecting force that blends all artists, past through future. It is the divine opportunity to capture a small passage of time on paper, allowing us only a moment to become enfolded in our dreams and passions. The artist can only begin this creative process by inviting the viewer to join in the journey; the process continues as the viewer accepts the magical message which the painting speaks.”

Jean Best’s paintings have been featured in the Donald Palmer Museum, the South Orange Library, the permanent collection of duCret School of the Arts, of which she is a graduate, and the “All Women All Art” exhibition in Maplewood Village, as well as many private collections. She recently exhibited in the juried three-day show “A Return to Art” in Princeton, where her technique of creating full-size paintings on canvas without the use of any paintbrushes intrigued many viewers. Jean’s passion for life is evident in her energetic paintings, and her works are being enjoyed on the East and West coast of the U.S. as well as in Switzerland.