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May 3 2000
Daily Hampshire Gazette
by Barney Beal
"Portraitist captures spirits of patrons at local bakery"

EASTHAMPTON -Jeanne Johns sat back in her chair at Sunrise Bakery, squinted her eyes, held out her thumb and added one more touch to the portrait she was painting of the man sitting across from her. Overcast and gray, the weather was perfect for painting, as the even light flowed in through the front window.
This is a scene that has played itself out some 75 times, as Johns has taken on a lengthy project of painting the portraits of Easthampton residents, both community leaders and the everyday people. Calling the portraits "Conversations", Johns does not ask her subjects to sit still for hours on end, but rather to chat with her about any number of subjects as she tries to capture not only their physical apperance, but their personality as well.

"The thing about these conversations is I really do it to paint," Johns said. "They're not all photographic. I try to get the spirit of the person, not the likeness. It stands for the experience we have together."

Nestled in the front corner window with flowers to the side, Johns begins chatting with her subject, learning about them and quickly puts both their face and personality on a 25-centimeter sqaure wood canvas. The portraits take about an hour, the same amount of time it takes to finish two cups of coffee.

 Painting a converstion
Jeanne Johns talks with Easthampton resident David Sullivan while she paints his portrait at the Sunrise Pastry Shop one morning. So far, she's painted about 75 Easthamptonites, whose likeness will be on display at the Nashawannuck Gallery on Cottage Street in October.
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