Jeff Koehn

Jeff Koehn was born in a small Wisconsin town, his first grade teacher was prescient when she told him: “You will be a famous artist some day.” Jeff received his formal art education from the Art Institute of Colorado, where he graduated with honors in December, 1995. While at the Art Institute, he received extensive training in pastel, oil and acrylic painting from world renowned artists Doug Dawson, Lynn Kircher and Don Long. In 1995 he was awarded First Place in the national Creative “Geanie” Student Competition.

Jeff’s style has evolved from early emphasis on photo-realism with the use of pastels in portraits. His earlier illustrative work has appeared in numerous publications. As he shifted to oil and acrylics, he has become absorbed with the excitement of color and texture, refining his paintings with dry brush techniques that lend both complexity and subtlety to his distinctive style. His influences come from Vermeer’s use of light spilling across his paintings, and also from John Singer Sergeant’s lush portraits. He walks daily through the woods watching the way the light reflects off leaves and different textures, and is passionate about the different colors that appear in the shadows of nature.

“Painting is like making music to me and it is like performing
a dance. It is an outlet to express raw emotion and to invoke
mystery. I invite the viewer to probe that mystery,
to feel the rhythm and to see the lyrics come
to life on the canvas.”