Jewell grew up in Iowa, graduated from Iowa State College with a BS in Applied Art, worked in advertising art in Chicago for three years and has taken painting classes throughout the years. In 1969 her family moved to Lawrence and, when her five children had grown up, found she had more time to paint. Jewell prefers to paint outdoors using acrylic paints on canvas, usually with a palette knife. Painting outdoors in Kansas is usually at its best in April and October. Among her favorite subjects are gardens, rural Kansas scenes and Colorado mountain scenes. She is a member of the Lawrence and Topeka Art Guilds, and participates in their exhibits as well as in one-person shows in area restaurants, hospitals, retirement homes, libraries, etc.