KIMBERLY BECK

Do You See What I See | 12" x 12" | Oil with Silver Leaf | $2,500

Green and Gold | 8" x 6" | Oil with Gold Leaf | $900

Tres Amigos | 12" x 9" | Oil | $1,600

"Hear My Song" (Song of the Lark) | 24" x 12" | Oil | $3,000

KIMBERLY BECK

ARTIST STATEMENT

“In an age when we experience so much of our world through glass - screens, windows, windshields - birds are a vital connection to the wild. They reach across any barrier, flitting, surprising and dazzling, always there to refresh by sense of wonder.” Thor Hanson

Birds connect us to the rhythms of nature. They help us understand the changing seasons in their comings and goings. They soar above us and around us and live amongst us in our backyards. They teach us about our landscape and even define it. We learn about beauty, grace, persistence, hope and ourselves when we take notice of the rhythm of the birds. In my art, I wish to share the intimate discoveries I encounter in my daily interactions observing birds. I study their daily behaviors, routines and habits. I watch them nest and faithfully care for their offspring, I seek out their preferred trees and perches, watch them shed their old feathers and grow new ones. I listen and learn to recognize their calls and the way they communicate with each other. I miss those that depart in winter, and rejoiced at their return in spring. As a painter, I enjoy the challenge of depicting the textures, patterns and palettes I observe in nature, and then translating them to paint. When painting birds, I apply the rules of portraiture, seeking to convey the bird’s “essence” through careful observation of its unique physical attributes and mannerisms and the way it behaves in its environment.

I am personally renewed daily by my experiences observing the birds. I hope you can feel my passion for these beautiful creatures with whom we share our world. I also hope that in listening to their rhythms, you are inspired to do what you can to protect their habitats and ensure their presence for generations to come. The process of creation challenges and inspires me as an artist: the origin of a new idea, the decision making during the execution, the excitement as the idea is realized on the canvas, and the follow through to the finished piece, sharing my observations of life with others. This cycle that keeps me perpetually at the easel. It is a great privilege to work as an artist. It continually challenges me to grow and learn, both in skill and knowledge of the stunning diversity of the world around us.

EDUCATION

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI - Bachelor of Arts in English Literature 1980 | California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA - 1982-1984 - Drawing, Illustration | Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, Illinois - Painting, Life Drawing | Workshops: Rose Frantzen, Nancy Guzik, Clayton Beck and Johanna Harmon

ILLUSTRATION

The Nature Company, Berkeley, CA 1984-1989 | Freelance Illustrator 1989-1992

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

Birds in Art 2012-2016, 2018-2020 | Society of Animal Artists Member Exhibition 2020 | American Women Artists 2020, 2021 Spring Online Juried Show | Annual Mountain Oyster Club Contemporary Western Art Show, 2019-20 | Richeson 75 International Exhibitions | The Art of the Heartland 2015, 2016, 2018 | The Laumeister Fine Art Competition 2015 | Oil Painters of America, Western Regional Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2021 Recipient of the Animal Award of Excellence, National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2015, Eastern Regional Exhibition of Traditional Oils, 2014-15, Salon Show, 2013, 2016 | National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) Online International Show, 2013 | American Impressionist Society Small Works Showcase, 2018

REGIONAL EXHIBITIONS
Jackson Hole Invitational Exhibition, 2021, Gallery Wild, Jackson, Wyoming | Celebrating Birds, Kimberly Beck, Kristina Knowski and Sue Gombus, South Shore Arts Atrium, 2019 | Intersection, Kimberly Beck and Lenin Delsol, Palette & Chisel Academy of Art, 2018 | Gold Medal Show 2013-2016, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art | Portraits of the Palette, 2012-2016, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art | Birds & Bees, 2018 Group Exhibition, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana | South Shore Arts Salon Show, 2017, Winner of Merit Award | Michigan Annual Art Competition 2017, Box Car Factory, St. Joseph, MI | Dune Birds in Art, 2017, Indiana Dunes Birding Festival Juried Exhibition | Hear the Rhythm of the Birds, Featured Artist, 2015, Brushwood Center for the Arts, Deerfield, Illinois | Art is for the Birds, 2013, Deerpath Art League Group Show, Lake Forest, Illinois

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

American Women Artists, Associate Member with Distinction | Society of Animal Artists, Associate Member | Artists for Conservation, Signature Member | Oil Painters of America 2012-2019 | Portrait Society of America 2011-2019 | Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art 2009-2019