Jean Battaglia has always had a love of the arts, but during her career of 40+ years in the health care field and as an operating room nurse, she had little time for the pursuit of artistic endeavors. That all changed upon her retirement.

After retirement she and her husband spent their winters in Yuma, Arizona, and this is where she learned the art of 3-D paper tole. Her beginning in this media was enhanced by several advanced training workshops and she has been enjoying the art of 3-D paper tole for seven years. As a result of her love for 3-D paper tole, she now also loves teaching the art. She loves watching pictures come alive by the shaping, layering and enhancement of paper, all which make the picture dimensional.

Battaglia also has a great love of the art of designing and making jewelry, and with her retirement she has had the extra time to advance her jewelry making/designing skills. Primarily using beads (and we are not talking about children’s beads here, but finely crafted tiny beads of different colors, textures and glazing) mixed with metals and other materials, she creates beautiful works of jewelry fit for any occasion from a business lunch to “red carpet” events.

To top off all the above, Battaglia also has the talent and love for acrylic and oil painting, and at one point, she says, she was “painting on everything that stayed still for any length of time.”

“It’s wonderful being retired and being able to do all the art I have always wanted to do,” Battaglia said.

Visit the Mesquite Fine Arts Gallery in July to enjoy the many works, from 3-D paper tole to jewelry, of this multi-talented artist.

Jean

Jean Battaglia