In 2018, Jeannette Launer was invited by a friend to participate in a week-long art camp. Jeannette had always wanted to paint, but in a family with an artistic mom and a sister who was labeled as the “arty one”, she was known as “the academic one.” She had attended the University of Oregon, gone to law school, and worked as an Assistant City Attorney, then for the Portland Development Commission in real estate development, and eventually opened her own law practice. For the last 18 years of her career, “it was just me and my dog” working on public/private development projects. The opportunity to attend art camp was a chance to finally explore her creative side.
At camp, Jeannette chose watercolor as her medium (the material list was the least expensive), and she painted her first picture of a hillside with trees. That experience, and her move to Saddlebrooke in 2022, prompted her to start painting in earnest. She took classes through the Art Guild – watercolor, pastel, and Art Sampler. She began watching YouTube videos that taught technique, and she painted abstract, expressionistic works every day. Eventually she began working in acrylic as well, and she produced several pieces which she exhibited at the Open Studio Tour. She said, “It was the first time I’d shown my work to anyone other than my family and friends, and I value the feedback I received. I even met some new neighbors!”
Jeannette lives part of the year in Bend, Oregon, where she moved in 2013. After aparticularly snowy winter, she decided she’d like to find a warmer location for part of the year. She found Saddlebrooke through some former law school classmates who recommended the community. She rented for a month, then bought a home and remodeled it. Along with her life partner, Tom, she enjoys social activities and finds it easy to make friends and keep active here. She plays pickleball, goes hiking and practices Pilates. In addition, she is an avid fly fisherman, has traveled around the world on fishing trips, and is planning an upcoming trip to Argentina. Jeannette has 5 step-children and fourteen grandchildren.