Claudia LeJeune

Claudia is originally from Akron, Ohio and attended Mississippi State College for Women as an art major when her father transferred to the area for work related reasons. She attended Dayton Art Institute when her family moved back north but decided that she really belonged in the south. That decision led to her joining her sister to live in Baton Rouge.

Claudia worked in clerical and accounting services for over 30 years as a practical means of support and was fortunate to work for companies that allowed her to work closely with auditors and increase her “left-brain” knowledge. She retired in 2007 to pursue her lifelong love of art. Her initial exposure to watercolor was workshops with local artist Mary Jane Cox after watching her episodes on the Delta Hands series on local LPB. She then studied with Carol Creel and began taking workshops as often as possible.

Claudia is an award-winning watercolor artist specializing mostly in realism but has recently been drawn to a looser style of painting. She states, “I am drawn to subjects that beg to be painted because of drama created by light, color, contrast, or that tell a story.” Anything is “fair game.” She is not concerned with having a particular style but leans towards realism because of the challenges presented in producing a work with depth on a flat surface. Claudia may use multiple techniques within one painting as the subject dictates and believe that if she is passionate about her subject, it will be evident in her work.

Claudia is a Signature member, Past President, and current Treasurer of LWS. She also serves on the board of the Art Guild of Louisiana and her artwork can be viewed in their online gallery www.artguildlouisiana.org. She has won numerous awards from exhibitions in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Claudia so enjoys working with the enthusiastic LWS board members who are dedicated to the provision of educational programs and exhibitions that advance the art of painting with watermedia. She is also proud of the quality of events hosted by this dedicated organization.