Art that speaks from the inside out
Poppy Planter, acrylic painting showcasing the creativity of MaryJo Beswick.
Explore my paintings & mixed media
Spirit Guide Dream 24"x 24" mixed media
Explore My Abstract Collages
Happy Pond collage 12" x 12"
Explore my works on Black paper
Girlfriends Forever painting 20" x 20"
about
Joyful art by MaryJo Beswick
"My art celebrates life and the power of possibilities. It is intuitively created in a playful process that comes from a joyful center of being. It often has a sense of whimsy or happy surprises. My process is more about letting go than holding on, more about discovering than knowing. It's like a game that invites my imagination and intuition to play while developing the form and the content at the same time. I'm basically a shape maker who likes playing with the elements of line, shape and color to see who or what shows up."
Growing up on Long Island, New York, the youngest of four children, I was the artistic one who could draw and was always making things. I made paper dolls, doll clothes, hand puppets, board games, treasure maps, greeting cards, picture books, cardboard forts, cakes, cookies and more. As a teenager, I designed and cut out paper bulletin boards for my mother, who was a first-grade public school teacher.
I met my husband in Ohio, soon after I graduated from college with a degree in secondary education. I was going to be an art and home economics teacher but life had other plans. I became the mother of two sons and an adventurous husband whose job kept taking us to new places. In our first twenty years, we lived in Ohio, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts before his job took us to live in the south of France.
France is where I discovered that I truly am an artist. Inspired by the beautiful surroundings of the French countryside, I took a plein air watercolor class and started painting passionately. I studied watercolor techniques from American 'how to' paint books and sold my paintings to friends and neighbors. Five years later when we returned to live in the States, I had the opportunity to take several workshops from national teachers, including some whose books I had studied. I eventually became a signature member of the Virginia Watercolor Society. I joined a co-op gallery and found a community of fellow creatives. I had success at selling my paintings but felt that something was missing. Where was the ME in these paintings? I took a monotype workshop and loved the experimental aspect of creating a similar but different image repeatedly. Then an acrylic workshop inspired me to add opaque aspects to my paintings that were becoming looser and more abstract. I was searching for a more authentic way to paint. I felt like I was painting from the outside in but I truly wanted to paint from the inside out. I had no idea how to do that and no one was teaching that in a workshop. I decided to study and experiment with the elements and principles of design. With every painting I made, no matter the subject, I also focused on one or two design elements learning how they acted and interacted and observing my personal preferences and tendencies. I eventually discovered what I call the "visual language of design" and what I had been looking for, my authentic visual voice. It's been a lifelong process that is still evolving.
Along the way, we raised two wonderful sons, and I became a full-time artist. I got involved in two successful co-op art galleries that sold my paintings and prints. I published two children’s picture books which is a whole other story. I taught mixed media workshops and gave inspirational programs to fellow artists. My life has been a evolutionary journey marked by turning points that brought new insights and opportunities. I am eternally grateful for the teachers I met along the way and for my internal impulse to create and be curious, to stretch myself to learn new things, to practice self-inquiry and to eventually find spiritual meaning in art-making.
If you are curious and would like to learn more about my insights and inspirations, consider signing up for my quarterly Newsletter below.
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Contact
Making connections with Art lovers & Fellow artists
Feel free to contact me via the green button below with any questions.
All works here are one of a kind originals and available for purchase. (size listed is the image only) Ask me about possible framing, pricing and shipping.
Guitar players, ask me about how to get a custom hand-painted design on your guitar!
Thanks for visiting my work and come again!
MaryJo Beswick
maryjo@maryjobeswick.com
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