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The Village Gallery welcomes Jean Dexter as its featured artist in March. Jean is a long-time Oriental resident and active member of the arts community in eastern North Carolina. She is 92, and still creating art.

This show began in Jean’s attic: “Every artist has an attic full of paintings.” As she and her daughter pulled works from the attic and lined them up, they realized it would make a retrospective display. Jean says as she looked at these paintings, it was like reading a journal. She could see what was happening in her life, what was important, and what piqued her curiosity at various points in time. Her style changed as she focused on shapes, then color, line… and back again. Her use of media also changed: collage, acrylics, and watercolors. Subject matter also varies from people, to birds, to flowers.

At 92, Jean now does most of her painting seated, resulting in a style she describes as tighter than her previous standing work. Reviewing her previous work has spurred a burst of creative energy. Jean continues to participate in the art community through exhibitions at Bank of the Arts, the Village Gallery, and a small critique group that often hangs their work at M&Ms.

​The Village Gallery is a cooperative gallery featuring the works of more than 40 member and consigned artists. The Gallery is staffed by its resident artists. ​ For more information about the Gallery, phone 252-249-0300 or visit during normal hours of operation from 10a til 5:00p Wed thru Sat. The gallery website is villagegallerync.com.