The life of an artist can be discouraging and financially frustrating, but for local artist Jeff Geen these are just bumps along the road to success. Geen has artwork on display for purchase every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UNCW Bookstore lobby in the Burney Student Support Center. The UNCW community is invited to stop by and watch Geen in action as he draws new work daily.

Geen uses both charcoal and oil pastel mediums in his drawings. His charcoal work includes downtown buildings, scenes and portraits. Geen’s most recent collection features a series of make-believe portraits entitled “People Who Don’t Exist.” He is currently putting the portraits into book format with the help of Brian Tucker, publisher and editor of locally produced Avenue Magazine. Together they are making up fictional narratives to accompany all 40 faces.

Geen’s oil pastel work is mostly of landscapes, with some buildings and impressionistic drawings. His prints are sold starting at $15 and originals at $75.

Geen has art displayed in the Port City Java’s on 4th and Chestnut Streets and College Road, Harris Teeter on College Road, the Animal Emergency Clinic of Wilmington and Expressions of Wilmington, Greenville and Chapel Hill. He also holds annual art shows as fundraisers for the Humane Society while pet adoptions take place simultaneously.

Originally wanting to become a writer, Geen started drawing in 1998. He sold his guitars to remove any type of distraction in his life and used the money toward opening his personal art gallery, The Geen Gallery. The gallery on Covil Avenue which has since been closed, featured over 100 of his original works that covered the walls and created a home base for him to work from.

“Galleries take about 40 percent of the profit from artwork, so I opened The Geen Gallery to have my own showcase,” Geen said. Geen has worked in the restaurant business waiting tables since 1998 as an additional source of income.

“I want people to feel like they’re making investments when they buy my originals,” Geen said. “I’ve sold work that is now in Ireland, the Virgin Islands, Austria and more. This is my life. I want to live the American dream of taking a talent and turning it into a decent living.”