He had an infectious enthusiasm and a solid handshake . A couple of horses grazed in a small paddock along their driveway , and a flock of white turkeys paraded their plum age around the yard . A dog or three eyed me warily but politely . “ We ’ ve got a lot going on here ,” Jeremy said , mentioning some building projects and the new greenhouse , projects that have been part of the process of settling in , after relocating here two years ago with his wife and kids . The Black Hills were the haven the Doss family was looking for , when they decided to move out of the increasingly crime-ridden city of Santa Fe .
He ushered me into his studio . The converted two-bay garage on the back of the house seemed unusually empty , without the stacks of paintings one would expect in a painter ’ s studio , and Jeremy explained that he just recently shipped off a large collection to the Santa Fe Trails Gallery , one of two locations that sell Jeremy ’ s work . He briefly described his plans of finishing the renovations on the studio , adding lighting and expanding it to accommodate a wider variety of work .
From the far side of the studio , a portrait in an ornate gilded frame caught my eye – drew it , actually . “ That ,” Jeremy said , glowingly , “ is my wife , Jamie .” A wealth of flaming curls , porcelain skin . Stunning . I said as much . He agreed , warmly . The same flaming curls turned my eye towards another painting , hanging above Jeremy ’ s workbench , and the same porcelain skin . The style was different , but the woman quite obviously was the same , against an impressionistic backdrop of a golden wheatfield . And then a moodier figure , with curls veiling the face , from another part of the room , reminiscent of rich watercolors . “ I painted that one on our honeymoon ,” he said , and explained his regret at having sold the latter two portraits , eventually tracking down the collectors and purchasing the paintings back . It was clear the source of much of Jeremy ’ s inspiration . “ She ’ s my favorite subject to paint .”
“ I wouldn ’ t have made it without my wife ,” he said seriously . “ She wouldn ’ t let me quit .”
A fire crackled in the wood stove in the corner , emanating heat into the chill . A bookcase with a curated collection of art books , a workbench in a state of organized clutter , all manner of paints and paintbrushes and knives , and a giant easel with an unfinished painting round out his studio .
“ If I told you everything we did ,” Jeremy said simply , “ you wouldn ’ t believe it . But it happened …. How the LORD provided for me and my wife …” He trailed off , looking for words . “ We don ’ t even have time to get into that , but how He provided financially , this place … it ’ s not normal .”
Jeremy first picked up a paintbrush in the year 2000 , during some lag time in his then-profession . “ I was a full-time dancer – a dance choreographer – swing , ballroom , and I even did country and western . I ’ d been doing that fulltime , which is how I met my wife .” He continued , “ In 2000 , I was working on an off-Broadway show in Boston …. I had a lot of time during the day just twiddling my thumbs , and I couldn ’ t stand it . [ So ] I went into an art store ….[ and ] started painting in the downtime . But then [ Jamie ] saw a painting I did and started screaming and said I needed to pursue it . I wasn ’ t even thinking I ’ d pursue it ,” he said with a laugh .
Clearly , he took her advice . “ I have what my wife calls an ‘ obsessive personality .’ When I get on something , I get on it until I master it
14 Down Country Roads November / December 2023