A highly accomplished landscape artist in her own right, exhibited at the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), the Royal Academy of Arts, The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, the Medici Gallery, Penwith Gallery, Newlyn Gallery and many others, she is noted for her distinctive, abstractive approach to colour, light and form inspired by the landscapes of the Mediterranean and the western counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
Upon completion of this course she embarked on a four-year Open Scholarship with the Royal College of Art but, in 1935, married Glyndwr Rees, moved with him to Somerset and spent the next few years in freelance textile design while raising three children.
In 1988 she was elected to the committee of the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol and in 1989 was voted Artist's Chairman, holding this position for 3 years.
During her tenure she curated two important exhibitions: the acclaimed "Scottish Art in the 20th Century" and "Painters from Cornwall", which marked a time of significant change for RWA.
A retrospective exhibition entitled "A Vision of Landscape and Light: Jean Rees Hon RWA 1914 - 2004" was staged at Bridgwater Arts Centre and Royal West of England Academy during 2006, receiving enthusiastic praise from several hundred visitors.