From staff reports
Beaufort Art Association has announced Penny Beesley and Amy Whitehouse as its newest Featured Artists for the exhibit “Art Beyond Boundaries,” which will run from February 25 through April 28.
The public is invited to join the artists for an opening night reception at BAA Gallery on from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, March 1, at the Gallery of the Beaufort Art Association at 913 Bay Street, downtown Beaufort, under the black awning.
About Penny Beesley
“I work mostly in mixed media, spontaneous and intuitively. I begin by gathering a selection of paint colors and papers often inspired by the environment, energizing the surface without thought, and as shapes and design come together, I walk away for a while, then return. When something interesting happens, I work to bring cohesion and closure. Sometimes it takes a long time!”
Beesley was raised in an art-loving family; weekends were often spent at her father’s elbow in his studio. Art was a focal point during high school followed by Eastern Michigan University, attaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Painting. Inspiration and motivation continue to come from nature’s stimulus of color, form and light, a background presence of music, and the emotions brought on by them. She also finds a mix of media opens more opportunities for chance chemistry. The argument inside the skin has always been to be abstract and spontaneous, to follow the push-pull. Collage media and mono print papers bring chance juxtaposition and build up texture. The exploration of techniques is a continuing learning experience.
About Amy Whitehouse
Amy Whitehouse has been painting full-time for 20 years, and has spent the last four years in the abstract world. Having worked in the representational field of art for many years, she was ready for a challenge – and found it. Since she is Beaufort-based, the surrounding area often informs Amy’s work, as in her series,“Coastal.” These paintings express ocean waves, shrimper boats, netting, rocks slashed with incoming tides. Other work may express a stage of life, such as in the “Passages” series. Amy was experiencing a new phase of life and preparing for a move at the time of these creations. Finally, as in most abstract work, Amy’s paintings express emotions, be they joyous ones or those of struggle. Always her hope is for the viewer to experience personal, individual responses to her artwork.
