Through the course of an ordinary day, an ordinary life, we move about busily tending to our human needs, bustling back and forth from place to place, tending to the tasks at hand so when we reach our destinations we can race off again to the next leg of the marathon.
Where to go? What to do? Who to see? Many navigate this world without ever even looking up from the technology in their hand, streaming sounds from some outside world through plugs in their ears. Do they see what they pass? Do they notice the things they step over? Look up? I do.
The big world has often felt too big for me, and the world of the Internet - inconceivable. Minutia suits me best. In seeing, studying, interacting with the tiny, the overlooked, the unappreciated beauty that exists everywhereI look, I can feel anchored to the world.
Notice the graceful curves in that railing. See how the shadows settle into the geometric shapes of that cornice. Follow the patterns on the manhole cover. These are my anchors. The ordinary is always extraordinary in my eyes.
My interpretations in paint serve as my way of giving back beauty to these beautiful places and things so deserving of attention. They are my “thank you” notes for still existing in an age of self pre-occupation. I hope that they may give some others a reason to pause on their journeys and take all the wonderful ordinariness in.
Jean Broden has been creating art all of her life, and oil painting for almost 20 years. She has taken part in a number of group exhibits in the area, and shows her work at a variety of art festivals and on her website: www.jeanbrodenart.com. Broden received a BFA from Moore College of Art & Design in Illustration, and a MA in Art Education from Arcadia University. She has also studied at Studio Incamminati and John Cabot University in Rome. While pursuing her passion for painting, she has also been teaching high school art classes for the last fifteen years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Broden’s works are all created in oil on canvas, as she feels this medium gives her paintings vibrancy and flexibility during the painting process. The color palette is wide-ranging, sometimes pushed and exaggerated to enhance the structures, shapes and lighting effects, sometimes subdued and muted to create mood. The finished work is then framed in re-purposed wood frames created by her husband, Tim Broden. The pair carefully curates each piece, selecting boards that reflect something of the soul of the image before creating the frames.
2015
John Cabot University, Rome, Italy
2008 - 2014
Studio Incamminati, Philadelphia, PA
Traditional figure & still-life painting under Natalie Italiano
1998 - 2000
Arcadia University, Glenside, PA
Master of Arts in Education, Fine Arts
Certification in Fine Arts
1979 - 1983
Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
2019
Feature article, Northeast Times, July 4
Saint Hubert Catholic High School
Saint Cecilia Roman Catholic Church
Michael Petrocik & Alicia Gasparovic
Charlie & Nancy Salmons
Joseph Petrocik & Myron Clement
Troy Everwine
Lora Durr
Claire DiLullo
Mike Worstall
James Pepper, Esq.
Amy Haviland Elfant
Kathy & Joseph DiDinato
Carolyn Bernacki, MD
Mike & Laura Schlagnhaufer
Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Member
InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
Member
Pocono Mountains Arts Council, Tobyhanna, PA
Member
National Art Education Association,
Member
Portrait Society of America
Member
2019
Tacony LAB, Philadelphia, PA
Teacher, painting workshop
2011 - 2019
Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, Torresdale, PA
Art Teacher, Fine Art Department Chairperson
2005 - 2011
Lansdale Catholic High School, Lansdale, PA
Art Teacher, Fine Art Department Chairperson
2002 - 2004
Gwynedd Mercy University, Gwynedd Valley, PA
Adjunct Faculty of Art History
1987 - Present
Freelance Illustration, fine art & design commissions
1984 - 1987
Martin Weber Company, Philadelphia, PA
Designer and Art Director
2019
Passed//Past, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
SawTown Tavern, Philadelphia, PA
2013
Elcy's Cafe, Glenside, PA
2010
People, Places & Things, Langhorne Coffee House, Langhorne, PA
2020
Philly's Freedom, National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Juried
Trenton Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
Invitational
New Now III, The InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Differing Visions, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Invitational
Winter Artists Show, Art at Valley Lake Gallery, Horsham, PA
Invitational
Mingling with the Masterpieces, Glen Foerd, Philadelphia, PA
Juried
POST @ Tacony LAB, Philadelphia, PA
6th Annual Juried Artist Exhibition, Stover Mill Gallery, Pipersville, PA
Think Outside the Box, Pocono Mountain Arts Council Annual Member's Show, Cresco, PA
Invitational
2018
Inspired, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Invitational
Winter Artists Show, Art at Valley Lake Gallery, Horsham, PA
Invitational
Think Outside the Box, Pocono Mountain Arts Council Annual Member's Show, Cresco, PA
Invitational
Annual Alumni Show, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Juried
American Identity, Dunning Art Gallery, Monroe County, PA
Juried
2017
Winter Artists Show, Art at Valley Lake Gallery, Horsham, PA
Invitational
NAEA Member Show, Alexandria, VA
Juried
National Heirloom Expo, Santa Rosa, CA
Juried
Trenton Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
Invitational
2016
Winter Artists Show, Art at Valley Lake Gallery, Horsham, PA
Invitational
Trenton Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
Invitational
2015
Trenton Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
Invitational
2014
Small, but not restricted, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Juried
Trenton Art All Night, Trenton, NJ
Invitational
2013
Celebrate Art, Huntingdon Valley, PA
Invitational
2012
Celebrate Art, Huntingdon Valley, PA
Invitational
2011
Celebrate Art, Huntingdon Valley, PA
Invitational
2009
Ocean City Annual Juried Art Show, Ocean City, NJ
Juried
2002
Archdiocesan Faculty Exhibit, Villanova, PA
Invitational
2019
Mingle with the Masterpieces, Glen Foerd Mansion, Philadelphia, PA
Holiday Arts Festival, Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor, PA
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, Oaks, PA
Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
Manayunk Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
Art for the Cash Poor, InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
Mayfair Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
2018
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, Oaks, PA
POST @ Tacony LAB, Philadelphia, PA
Manayunk Arts Festival, Philadelphia, PA
Holiday Arts Festival, Skytop Lodge, Skytop, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
2017
Holiday Arts Festival, Skytop Lodge, Skytop, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
2016
Holiday Arts Festival, Skytop Lodge, Skytop, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
2015
Peddler's Village Fine Arts & Craft Show, Lahaska, PA
2nd Place, Fine Arts
Holiday Arts Festival at Skytop Lodge, Skytop, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
2014
Peddler's Village Fine Arts & Craft Show, Lahaska, PA
2nd Place, Fine Arts
Holiday Arts Festival, Skytop Lodge, Skytop, PA
Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, Jenkintown, PA
