Kathy Beekman's pastel paintings on
display at Cogswell Gallery in Vail
Saturday

The Colorado artist yearns for the uncluttered life
Caramie Schnell
Vail, CO, Colorado


Kathy Beekman knew she wanted to be an artist when she was 4
years old, she said. New paintings by Beekman are on display at
Cogswell Gallery in Vail. The gallery is hosting a reception Saturday
from 2 to 5 p.m.

Stare at one of Kathy Beekman's pastel paintings for long enough
and you'll feel at peace. The uncluttered landscapes, combined with
contrasting warm and cool colors, draws the viewer into the canvas.
It's hard not to yearn for a time machine to transport you to the field
where there's just a big sky, a rolling sea of grassy plains and a lone
brick-red barn in the distance.

"All of us are so accustomed to the constant barrage of media that
flashes in front of us that when you first encounter one of Kathy's
pastels, you can't help but feel an immediate sense of calm," said
Steven DeWitt, Cogswell Gallery director. "Instead of feeling
overwhelmed, the artist's compositions and choice of color evokes
the feeling I get when I'm most content."

That's precisely the effect Beekman is searching for with her work,
she said. "The way the clouds make you feel when they are tall and
white with a hint of purple, the way you long for a quiet pink sunset,
the feeling of wet grass beneath your feet," Beekman said. "These
are the kinds of things that inspire me to paint, things that make you
long for whatever it is that makes you feel deeply. I try to capture
these deep feelings with my use of color, line, and shape. I try to
evoke a powerful sense of intimacy and peacefulness."

New paintings by the pastel artist are on display at Cogswell Gallery.
The gallery will host a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The artist
will not be present.

A dramatic effect
The gallery has been showing Beekman's work since 2006, DeWitt
said.

"This summer we saw a huge interest in the collection we had
hanging," he said. "The new work that came in for this show is some
of the best I've seen since we started showing her at Cogswell
Gallery. I'm really excited to see people's reactions."

Pastel paints are notoriously difficult to work with. Even Beekman
admits it isn't the easiest medium.

"Painting with pastels is tricky business," she said. "One little rain
drop or a gust of wind and my pastel paintings can be destroyed."

That's why she spends most of her time working in the studio, safe
from weather's whims. She takes plenty of reference photos of
various places she visits - Italy, France, Montana, Ohio, New Mexico,
Indiana - to look at later for inspiration.

"Perhaps it's the clouds, the starkness of the landscape, or the color
of the grasses that strike me," she said. "I stare at the photos for a
while and they inspire me to paint."

Even though they're fickle, pastels positives far outweight the
negatives for Beekman. The color are rich, she doesn't have to wait
for them to dry and she can stop in the middle of a painting and come
back later to finish it, Beekman said. She can also use her fingers to
create her images.

"Using my fingers and really getting dirty (and) into my work, is what I
think I like best about the medium," Beekman said.

Visitors to Cogswell Gallery have been especially drawn to
Beekman's work lately, DeWitt said. Nearly every day someone
comments about her paintings. That's likely helped by how they're
presented - the 37-year-old artist mounts her pastels on bright white
mattes and completes the look with a black wooden frame. The final
effect is dramatic.

"The contrast between the vibrancy and rich color saturation of her
pastels against a stark white background helps in the overall impact of
the artist's work," DeWitt said.

High Life Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 970-748-2984 or
cschnell@vaildaily.com.

If you go ...
What: Kathy Beekman art opening
Where: Cogswell Gallery, 223 Gore Creek Drive, Vail
When: Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m.
More information: 970-476-1769

R ead more about Kathy Beekman on her blog "A day in the life of an
artist," at http://kathybeekman.wordpress.com.