Art exhibit at Crisp Museum displays work of late professor Jake Wells

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – On Sunday, Dotta Roberts made the trip from Marble Hill to the Crisp Museum to view the artwork of late Southeast Missouri State Professor Jake Wells. 

Roberts had a personal reason for her visit, as she is good friends with Wells’ daughter Jeannie. 

“I wish I knew him better, but my family knew him quite well, and I was glad I was able to come over and be able to see a bit of his artwork,” Roberts said.

And Roberts is partial to Wells’ method of painting.

“I love watercolors, the best medium,” she said.

While touring the gallery, Roberts noticed something, or someone, peculiar in one of the paintings. 

“I can’t wait to ask Jeannie about it because there’s a figure in the window, and I want to ask her, ‘was that supposed to be a ghost or a person?’ It was really clever the way he inserted that,” Roberts said. 

Another visitor, Mary McClary, although admittedly not an artist herself, said she tries to support the arts as much as possible.

“Probably all my life I wish that I could paint, so I try to go to the shows that are here,” she said. 

McClary said in addition to Wells’ paintings of Cape Rock and several area mills, another one in particular stands out. 

“I like this one over here that has the raft that makes you think, boy, those guys just got off that raft and they’re going to go back just like Tom Sawyer,” she said, pointing to a painting of two men sitting on a riverbank. “He does a beautiful job.”