Jean studied at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, specialising in lithography and printmaking.

She first became interested in fabric while making costumes with the Red Mole theatre group at Wellington Carmen's Balcony in the late 70's.

She moved to Sydney and joined the Women's printing collective at Sydney's Tin Sheds where she designed posters and T-shirts for political and community groups.

Her "Talk is Cheap" T-shirt and poster design was the Adelaide Festival image in 1986. This and other works are in the Australian National Gallery and a printed lavalava is in the Victorian Textile Museum.

Back in New Zealand in 1987, she established a Fabric Printing course at A.I.T. with a strong focus on Maori and Pacific Island students.

"My ancestry goes back to Fletcher Christian and his Tahitian wife Mia Mitti. I discovered while researching, she made tapa on Pitcairn Island, and even unearthed some examples. These early patterns and the strength of those Tahitian women has been an inspiration for me."

She was a Supreme Award winner at the Pasifika Fashion Show in 1995 and in 1999 was runner-up in the Evening wear section of the same awards. She has worked with the performance group 'The Pacific Sisters' and has taught privately from her studio and as a visiting tutor. Commissions include hand-printed shirts for blues singer Taj Mahal and for hip hop artist Che Fu.

"Learning to use a screen can open possibilities for a job, for creating art, or for putting fashion out onto the street."

1994 she was awarded a Craft Council grant to establish a fabric studio at her home in Grey Lynn. This provided a work space for her 'Style Pacific' collective, a contemporary Pacific design group that printed original fabric distributed among retail outlets throughout New Zealand.

In 1995, she gained a commission for the opening of the new Parliament buildings. She and her team (Junior Chan Sau, Kylie Stehlin, Lesley Robb, Alesi Leao and Sila Lesatele) spent six months researching and creating 'The Pacific Panels', featuring traditional Pacific Island block-printing styles.

The huge panels are on permanent display in the Galleria at Parliament in Wellington.