Millers Dog House, oil on canvas 22"x30" collection of Dan Williams

Research in psychology has documented the fact that certain areas of the brain's prefrontal cortex, specifically the ones that affect good judgment, are not fully developed until around age 25 or later. My escape from the Minneapolis winter of '74 to the sun and fun of Florida was one of a few things I did in my young life that "seemed like a good idea at the time" but it definitely had two sides.

My artwork is about, among other things, the dual nature of the American experience. The exciting adventure and romance of the open road is a part of it, but the emptiness and creeping melancholy of the lonesome traveler is also in there. If an artist attempts to capture the soul of America there has to be a yin and a yang to it. The second painting from my Florida experience, "Miller's Dog House," contains a little of both.

People often say things that strike me as odd when viewing my paintings. Perhaps because most people have very little art education beyond high school. How can I blame them when they struggle for something to say about my work? Even so, I still find it surprising that people frequently ask me "Are these paintings of real places?" My standard response is that; "I can't make this stuff up." The question of whether or not these places are REAL, however, is actually not that strange when I think about it. A more accurate answer might be; "The subjects I paint come from real places, but the paintings are created through a combination of observation and imagination." The Grapefruit Truck painting is an example.

The story behind this painting, entitled "Grapefruit Truck," begins a long time ago. Ready Mr. Peabody, we're going to set the Way-back-machine to February of 1974. It had been below zero in Minneapolis for weeks on end and I had just finished my second semester at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Suffering from a bad case of freshman stress syndrome, and miserable with acute eczema exacerbated by the arctic conditions of that Minnesota winter, I was definitely ready for a change.

My college roommate Darrell Poore, was from Anderson South Carolina. The meat locker weather and the Foundation Studies program at MCAD had not been agreeing with Darrell's southern disposition either. We were both looking for a way out. We found it, however it wasn't exactly Spring Break.

A road trip inside the mind of artist Jeffrey L. Neumann

"Step in my Rocket and don't be late, honey we're pullin' out about half past eight ..."

Fasten your seat belts; this could be a bumpy ride.

There are those who say visual artists should not write. Reading a lot of Artist's Statements in my life has convinced me that in many cases, there is some truth to that. The great American painter Edward Hopper once said "If I could put it into words I wouldn't have to paint it." I love that. Why should I write when every picture tells a story? Because if you're reading this, you just might be interested in what Paul Harvey called "the rest of the story."

This blog will be an effort to take you behind the scenes in the life of a contemporary realist painter. Along the way I'll tell the stories of how some of the work came to be, add some reflections on art and life and share the occasional Neumannism on a variety of subjects. Neumannism number one: "All great art is personal." My aim is to create deeply personal work that speaks about the soul of America.