Kathy Beekman
Kathy Beekman, a master finger painter whose soft pastel artwork emerges from the West and Midwest countryside’s, lives in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where her home and studio are perched at 8,600 feet. “The vastness of the natural landscape here inspires my work. My paintings reflect how I think and feel about my environment.”
She grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a small city surrounded by the farming communities that continuously inspire her subject matter: the barns, clouds, open spaces and streams that conjure up idealized versions of the landscapes she experienced as a child. Her style has developed to include mountains and vast landscapes inspired, again, from where she now lives and the places she visits. This style has a simplified graphic quality with a quiet reflective mood characteristic of all of Beekman’s paintings.
Her passion for the arts extends beyond her canvas. She is a highly sought-after art career coach for artists who want to “rise above the rest”, an instructor in pastel painting to adults, and owner/designer of Chuckle & Chortle a hilarious greeting card line. She has also authored the books Prosper, A Success Book for Artists and Motivational Quotes, A Success Book for Artists.
Artist Statement
Painting is my way of exploring my surroundings. It is my key to the secret garden, my way down the rabbit hole, my looking glass. By closely examining architecture, noting the way a cloud casts a shadow, or discerning the color of a mountain in the distance, I better understand the world in which I live.
Coloring books and doodles started me on my artistic path. From the beginning, transforming a piece of paper to reflect my thoughts and feelings has struck me as magical. I love the sense of fulfillment that I get from successfully conveying my emotions onto paper. This is how I best communicate.
Self-taught in the medium of soft pastels, no tools other than my fingers are used and have often been referred to as the “Master Finger-Painter of the West”. I work quite deliberately; my unconscious is truly calling the shots. It steers my compositions, my color choices and their placement, and tells me when a painting is finished. Creating comes intuitively rather than intellectually.
