A Breath of Fresh Air
The Beaufort Art Association Gallery is excited to present the spring Featured Artist show, “Out of the Dark, Into the Light,” a solo exhibit by Penny Beesley. The exhibit will be on display from March 3rd to April 26th at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery located on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort.
The opening reception will be held on Friday March 6th during downtown’s First Friday festivities. Come and enjoy light refreshments and meet the artist from 5pm – 8pm. In addition, art by over 70 local Beaufort County exhibiting artists will also be on display.
Penny was raised in an art loving family, often spending weekends with her father in his studio. Her love of art continued throughout high school and on into college where she earned a BFA in ceramics and painting from Eastern Michigan University.
“I first arrived in the Lowcountry in 1979, residing in Myrtle Beach to escape the winters of Michigan. After a few more moves around the south, I settled in Atlanta and found myself with boundless opportunities,” says Penny.
During that period, she had various retail management, event planning, and huge dining successes. Then Penny reinvented herself.
Celestial Meanderings
“I met a sailor ready to set sail…a dream I grew up with after learning to sail at a young age in the North Sea. We sailed the east coast of the U.S. from Maine to the Bahamas for seven years, pledging that when the butter was hard it was time to head south and if it was runny it was time to return north,” says Penny.
In the financial hit of 2008, they returned to Atlanta for more lucrative work.
“I had continued my artist inklings by creating jewelry and small collages while sailing, but I found a new vibrant art community in Atlanta.”
During that time, Penny entered local and national shows, served on galley committees, received recognition for her art and rebounded as a 2D artist. Moving into a new phase, Penny’s home and boat, “Viking Rose,” returned to California with a new skipper.
In her years of sailing, Penny had spent many weeks in port in Beaufort. “It was so beautiful, comfortable, and welcoming,” says Penny. “We were so lucky to eventually land here! We ultimately built a new house with a studio, which in itself was a fun project, and I have had the opportunity to continue playing and learning.”
Creating mostly abstracts in mixed media, Penny finds this “opens more opportunities for chance chemistry.” She begins by gathering a selection of paint colors and papers, often inspired by her surroundings and nature. Her initial approach is spontaneous and intuitive, working with looseness and motion.
“I will begin by energizing the surface without thought, only motion, and as shapes and design come together, I pause, listen to music, walk away for a while, then return,” she explains. “When something interesting happens, I interact again with other processes to bring cohesion and closure.”
Celebrate
Penny uses a variety of techniques and mediums including collage media and mono print
papers, colors and shapes, negative space and texture, all working together to create unique pieces of art that exude emotion through abstract expressionism. Her show explores light and darkness, the contrast between them, as well as how they work together.
Her art has been exhibited in many galleries across the southeast and she has participated in a number of distinctive juried shows, garnering first place and an impressive number of honors and prizes.
For more information about Penny Beesley’s art, visit her website at pennybeesley.com.
For additional information about the Beaufort Art Association, visit the Gallery at 913 Bay Street Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm, or go online at beaufortartassociation.com.
