THE PAINTINGS OF JEAN POULIN

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Jean Poulin and his wife Martie Millett

In 1632 the Poulin family arrived in Quebec. Three years later the Millett family arrived in Dorchester, New England. Twelve generations later Jean and Martie met in Omaha, Nebraska. Martie was born in Omaha, however, in 1886, one of Martie's grandmother's came from Canada to Nebraska in a covered wagon. Jean, on the other hand, danced his way from Canada to Omaha in 1960.

Jean was born in Montreal and attended school through the seventh grade, after which he began working a series of rough-and-tumble jobs, including stints as a lumberjack, miner and launderer. In his late teens, he landed an apprenticeship restoring and redesigning the insides of churches, a trade he practiced for several years before leaving to pursue a career as a dance instructor and director of choreography for a Montreal television show. His TV work landed him a job in New York, which in turn resulted in a trip to Omaha to train local dance instructors. In Omaha he continuted his dance instructing but also returned to his restoration work. Over the years he has restored the interior designs and artwork of churches in Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and elsewhere.

It wasn't until 2002 that Jean and Martie met, at a doctor's office, where she worked as a receptionist, and he visited as a patient. They got to know each other entirely through waiting-room conversations, many of which centered on their mutual love for movies. Eventually they joined each other for a "movie date" and that began their courtship and marriage.

At this point Jean was continuing his church restoration work and painting on the side. The completion of one piece meant nothing more than starting work on the next. He gave paintings to family and friends and others piled up in the garage. Martie decided it was time for his work to see the light of day. He resisted; but she insisted, and in 2005. his first exhibition was held in an Omaha gallery. Several of his painting were purchased and he received widespread acclaim. "If it wasn't for Martie," Jean said, "all of my paintings would still be sitting in a garage."

On December 6, 2006 Jean celebrated his 75th birthday with his wife Martie. "Michelangelo painted until he was 82," commented Jean, "so I know I have a few good years left." And Martie said "just stay inside the lines!" And you can see, from Jean's paintings displayed here, that his imagination is both inside and way outside the lines.

This website and the above bio is by Gregg Millett, Jean's brother-in-law. Some material in the bio was borrowed from an article in The Reader, June 9-15, 2005, written by Casey Logan.

Several of Jean's paintings are currently
on display at:
Creekside Framing & Gallery -- Papillion, Nebraska
www.creeksideframing.com
(402) 49-FRAME / (402) 493-7263

Some of Jean's paintings
are also on display at:
Passageway Gallery
"The Old Market"
417 South 11th St.
Omaha, Nebraska