Jackie Calderone

"I prefer to jump in and paint the figure without a preliminary drawing. Though challenging and unpredictable, I'm able to achieve a freer, fluid, spontaneous feeling, which is what I think watercolor is all about."
-Jackie Calderone

Jackie Calderone was born on Staten Island in New York. She first began to draw at the age of 29 and earned a degree in fashion illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York three years later. Calderone continued to study privately while designing children's wear and running her own business. When painting, Calderone works primarily in watercolor. Her figures are strongly depicted in a somewhat loose style with an exciting use of color. She often begins her paintings without a preliminary pencil sketch, creating figural works that express an atmosphere of feeling. Calderone has exhibited at the Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center, and the National Arts Club in New York.

Education and Training
Fashion Institute of Technology, Associate degree, Fashion Illustration, New York, New York
Private study with Phyllis Rutigliand, Charles Reid, Ernest Crichlow, Lygmund Jankowski

Teachers and Influences
Studied with private teachers: painter Phyllis Rutigliand and printmaker Charles Reid, prime mentor
Ernest Crichlow, design and composition
Zygmund Jankowski

Connection to Bucks County
Jackie Calderone resides in Bucks County and has a studio in Pipersville. She paints local landscapes, including Fonthill and local farms.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Nancy Nesbitt, Kathleen Criste, Mary G. Barbera, Stacie S. Scott, Larry McGearty, Mea Schiff, Sue Plumb, Maddie Kempes, John Allison, Alan Taback, and Lorraine Skala
Calderone has taught Childrens' courses at Bucks County Community College.

Major Solo Exhibitions
First solo exhibition, Michelyn Galleries, New Britain, Pennsylvania, 1995

Major Group Exhibitions
National League of American Pen Women, Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center, New York, New York, c. 1984-1985
National Arts Club, Juried Show, New York, New York, n.d.
Bay Ridge Festival of the Arts, five consecutive years in juried show

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Taught two children's courses for one semester at Bucks County Community College
Taught children privately in Brooklyn, New York, in 1983-1984

Major Awards
Honorable mention at National League of American Pen Women group show at Cork Gallery, Lincoln Center, c. 1984-1985