Prints by Jadene Wingert hang in the windows of Jadene Studios on Commercial Street.

Over nearly four decades, Jadene Wingert has traveled to 16 countries and taken many photographs along the way. Those memories and images have become the inspiration for her second life in retirement as an artist.

After vending at the Astoria Sunday Market for four years, Wingert has recently opened Jadene Studios, an art gallery and shop space on Commercial Street.

It’s a new project for Wingert after a nearly 40-year career in education, primarily as an elementary school teacher. During her last decade of teaching, she traveled often, even while working in a nontraditional school with a yearlong schedule.

“My vacations were not on the traditional schedule that most schools follow, so I was able to travel during times of the year when most classes were in session,” Wingert said. “I would bring pencils and small coins to give to my students when I came back.”

While Wingert brought back small souvenirs for her students, she always returned home with a large number of photos for herself. Today, those adventures have become the visual reference for around 40 paintings and drawings that hang on the walls of her Astoria gallery space.

Wingert’s landscape paintings are often tied to a photo, which means that each comes with a story and a memory, including a painting of a red door from a trip to Malta which serves as the logo for the gallery.

Another painting shows an Irish man on the roadside collecting peat with his donkey and dog — from a visit to southern Ireland. She spoke of the man in the photo being immortalized through her art.

“He was quite elderly when I took the photo, and so he’s probably no longer alive,” Wingert recalled.

Watercolor and acrylic are Wingert’s preferred mediums, although she does draw and occasionally dabbles in comics when the urge strikes. She describes her style as everything ranging from “abstract to realistic but mostly Americana landscapes.”

Recently, Wingert received requests to paint portraits of the Astoria Column, The Old 300 Trolley and a gillnet boat. Her collection of work lines the walls of her shop, both originals and prints, which are marked with humble prices.

“I strive to make my art affordable for everyone, and many of my works have traveled around the world with customers,” Wingert said.

At the age of four, Wingert recalls developing an interest in art. In high school, she was one of three state finalists in a Scholastic-sponsored art competition. Now, in retirement, she is revisiting a passion.

The road that led to opening a gallery started when Wingert attended local markets as an art vendor, bringing prints of her original work. After four years, health issues prevented her from continuing the physical work of setting up a tent and selling outdoors, so she moved into a shop space.

“I like that I don’t have to haul my work around everywhere and it’s stationary on the wall stationary so I can leave it there day after day,” Wingert said.

At Jadene Studios, customers can peruse Wingert’s art through multiple sizes of prints, original artwork, greeting cards, coasters and tiles with her original work printed on them. In the future, she hopes to expand her offerings to tote bags, keychains and possibly Christmas ornaments.

As for landscape painting, next on the horizon is a series of paintings based on a National Geographic tour she took to Egypt. As long as there are memories to relive through her photos, Wingert can’t help but continue to paint.

“I’m finding more old photos every day that I want to turn into art,” she said.

Jadene Studios

Jadene Studios

1292 Commercial St., Astoria

Contact the gallery at 503-741-1990