Jean Kalisch mid Century Modern Rooftop City scene. oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inchesBorn in Japan in the 1920s, Jean Kalisch started her art training as a child. When she was seven years old she was given instruction in Chinese calligraphy with brush and ink. Training in pencil drawing of landscapes, embroidery and oil painting continued through the years until she was seventeen. She then moved to Tokyo to study chemistry, with plans of becoming a pharmacist. Art became limited to those few moments she could take from her studies to visit museums and art shows. Then came the disruption of World War II. In 1954 she married a man who was with the American Judge Advocate's office and came to California. She began taking drawing classes and studied all kinds of painting.