Helen is the new owner of Indigo Fine Art Gallery which will open September 1 at 102 Church St, located just South of Broad.  www.IndigoFineArtGallery.com  843.805.9696.  Indigo's grand opening will be Friday, October 1 (5-8pm), during Charleston's Art Walk.

The Artist's Story

I was born in Montreal, Canada in 1952.  It was a world in which I knew no one, growing up, that was artistic.  I didn't even know it about myself, other than I knew I thoroughly enjoyed pencil-sketching the shapes of students' heads into my science notebooks (as I sat in the back of the room) instead of listening to the teacher!

I moved to Memphis, TN in 1981, and soon after arriving there, I signed up for a class in watercolor with a local portrait painter named Brandon Bethea Brown.  That first exposure to "color" turned my life around!  I still have my first watercolor hanging in my Studio.  Since then, I've taken various workshops around the country but do not consider myself to have a formal education.

Although I worked at a corporate "day" job for years (both in Purchasing and in Sales), I took my vacations by traveling around the country and participating in outdoor juried art festivals.  The life of a painter can be a solitary one when you're working in your studio in the wee hours.  But when you get outside and mingle with other artists or the buying public, it puts a new spin on what the creative process is all about.  I love hearing from folks who have been touched by my art in one way or another.  I've been blessed with many awards from competitions and art festivals since starting on my art career.

In 2006, I quit my "day" job and moved to the Charleston, SC area where I've been able to focus (finally) on my art!  I'm in 4 galleries right now, and leading a painter's life after all!

Even though I first started out painting in watercolor (and still do), I have added acrylics and mixed media for a newfound joy and freedom of painting.  It allows me to paint somewhat more abstractly the same subjects that I had previously painted realistically .  Texture is a huge "thing" in my work and, whereas you have to imply texture with watercolor, you can have fun applying texture in these other mediums.  Another change in my work from Day One is that I've moved from very subdued colors to vibrant, zinging color.  Maybe the move to Charleston spurred that to happen?  A third change is that I'm painting much larger paintings than I ever did in the past.  Again, bigger brushes contribute to more of an abstract quality.  Most of my work, however, continues to focus on subjects found in Nature.

Over the past 27 years, I've been active on the boards of various art guilds and volunteered my time on very worthwhile non-profit projects.  I teach both adults and children in ongoing studio classes or in workshop settings.  Last summer, I conducted a one week Art Camp for children ages 9-15, exposing them to watercolor, acrylics, collage, and pen & ink.  I have a 3-day workshop for adults coming up in March in the Charleston area (email me if you wish to receive updates on upcoming lessons:  helenKbeacham@gmail.com).

Helen K. Beacham

Biography 

•          Born in Montreal, Canada in 1952.

•          Moved to Memphis, TN in 1981.

•          Moved to Summerville, SC in 2006.

•          Past President of the Memphis/Germantown Art League.

•         Past Vice President of the Charleston Artist Guild.

•          No formal training.  Has been painting since 1982 and turned full-time artist in 2006.

•          Teaches art workshops around the country.

 

For more information, please call or write:
210 Beaufort Street
Summerville, SC 29483
email: helenKbeacham@gmail.com

To view more of Helen's work, visit www.helenKbeacham.com