Newswise — Jeff Potter is a renaissance man. After more than 25 years in scientific research at the University of New Mexico, he retired in 2006 to focus on his interest in fine art. Some of his pieces now hang in the UNM Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. Recently, Mr. Potter shared selected artwork in a showing at the UNM Cancer Center.

The pieces span a number of years and a number of media. “Artists get burned out,” he says. So, while many artists develop a style in a single medium, Mr. Potter experiments with different media and tries many techniques. The paintings in the show included watercolors, oils and pastels, but he has learned linoleum and woodblock printing and digital photography, too. “Jeff has always done multiple media,” says Deborah Ulinski Potter, PhD, his wife of 35 years. “He’s definitely diverse.”

The paintings also show how his work has changed over the years. “It started very analytical,” he says. “I was very technical when I was young. As I’ve gotten into retirement, I’m exploring. I’m not as precise. I’m more abstract. I’m using more color.” His wife agrees, yet some of her favorite pieces are the detailed ones. A retired UNM Professor in the Departments of Biology and Earth and Planetary Sciences, she says, “I did research on thunderstorms so I love his paintings that had very dramatic storms. I see geology in his work. I see weather. I see all those sciences particularly over the years.”

It’s not surprising that science influences his work. Mr. Potter has dual Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Studio Art and a Master’s degree in Biochemistry . He worked in laboratories at the UNM School of Medicine for over 25 years. That time included 17 years in the laboratory of Cheryl Willman, MD, now Director and CEO of the UNM Cancer Center. In Dr. Willman’s lab, he worked under two different National Cancer Institute research grants. The work led to the discovery of gene mutations frequently seen in Hispanic and American Indian children with leukemia.

Mr. Potter credits his loves of science and of art to the nurturing atmosphere his parents created for him and his four siblings in Los Alamos. Being a scientist while developing his artistic skills gave him the freedom to be creative and to develop as an artist, he says. In addition to his place in the UNM Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, Mr. Potter has won many awards including two at the annual “Texas & Neighbors Juried Exhibition” in Irving, Texas and one at the St. George, Utah, Arts Festival. He has also been featured in “National American Artist” Magazine and has shown his work throughout the country. His work displayed at the UNM Cancer Center April 7 to April 11, 2014.


More information about Jeff Potter is available online at http://www.unm.edu/~jpotter/

Cheryl Willman, MD, is the Maurice and Marguerite Liberman Distinguished Endowed Chair in Cancer Research; Director and Chief Executive Officer of the UNM Cancer Center; and a UNM Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Internal Medicine.

About the UNM Cancer CenterThe UNM Cancer Center is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center in the state. One of just 68 premier NCI-Designated Cancer Centers nationwide, the UNM Cancer Center is recognized for its scientific excellence, contributions to cancer research, the delivery of high quality, state of the art cancer diagnosis and treatment to all New Mexicans, and its community outreach programs statewide. Annual federal and private funding of over $77 million supports the UNM Cancer Center’s research programs. The UNM Cancer Center treats more than 60 percent of the adults and virtually all of the children in New Mexico affected by cancer, from every county in the state. It is home to New Mexico’s largest team of board-certified oncology physicians and research scientists, representing every cancer specialty and hailing from prestigious institutions such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, and the Mayo Clinic. Through its partnership with Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, the UNM Cancer Center brings world-class cancer care to the southern part of the state; its collaborative clinical programs in Santa Fe and Farmington serve northern New Mexico and it is developing new collaborative programs in Alamogordo and in Roswell/Carlsbad. The UNM Cancer Center also supports several community outreach programs to make cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment available to every New Mexican. Learn more at www.cancer.unm.edu.