I am inspired to paint by all the world around me. I enjoy working in many genres, including landscape and still life. But at present I am focused on capturing and inventing color, light, and form for my paintings of horses. I have been horseback riding since I was in my mid-forties and am awed by the intelligence and power with gentleness of these magnificent animals.
All my paintings are reflections of my feelings about the beauty I see in the world. I begin with what I see, but quickly move to the essence of my visual experience. Color, value, line, texture, and the arrangements of shapes then become the tools of my creation. As I work some paintings develop a more realistic character, others develop greater abstraction.
The painter Lucian Freud once said “The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and ironically the more real.” This statement truly resonates with me regarding the scenes I see every day and choose to capture in my paintings. Nature changes moment-to-moment, season-to-season. When I express my response to a view through strokes of color, I both stop and extend time, hinting at nature’s endless possibilities.
I paint with pastels because I love the qualities of the medium. Dry pastels are pure pigment, containing only the smallest amount of binder to hold the pigment particles together. Pastels can be used “alla prima”, which is essentially one layer of pastel in a painting, or they can be built up with many layers to produce a painting with subtle yet complex hues and values that seem to vibrate with energy. I use pastels both ways.
I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Tech. In addition, I have studied with a number of artists, including Vera Dickerson of the Studio School in Roanoke and nationally known artists Daniel Greene, Louise Cadillac, and Dawn Emerson.
My work has been exhibited and has received awards in regional, national, and international exhibitions. My paintings are in both private and corporate collections.
To see more of my paintings, please visit my website at http://patriciabevan.com. To inquire about or purchase a painting in this exhibit, please contact me at patriciabevan@mac.com.
