Edna Beauchemin Works

Artist’s Statement
I consider myself as a realistic impressionist, because I see colors first, then forms.  I think colors create a mood that draws people in and speaks to them on a deeply emotional level.  Pastels allow me to draw fine lines and dots to weave together landscapes with intricate layers of colors.  At a distance the eye merges these lines and dots into a semi-realistic image.

Biography
I was raised amid the tropical surroundings of Hawaii and attribute much of my artistic inclination to the influence of my mother--a professional free-lance textile artist. While my mom painted she would let me flip through her volumes of art books--so my first baby sitters were great French Impressionists.  Consequently, Monet, Degas, and Van Gough are principle influences in my work.
I received a Bachelors of Arts in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles CA.  As part of my studies, I received formal training in color theory, as well as the fundamentals of illustrating.  I worked in the fashion industry as both a pattern maker and an illustrator in Los Angeles and Hawaii.  While I have some basic technical training, I really consider myself to be a self-taught artist. 
My fashion design training has really shaped my approach to art. I start each piece by building the color palette before I’ve even decided on a subject.  To me, color is what makes a piece come alive and sets the mood. It was texture and color that initially attracted me to pastels.  Since pastel is made-up of pure pigment, it has a shocking vibrancy and shimmer about it that really grabs the eye.  A side benefit of pastel is that it never fades, so properly framed pastel art can outlive even oil paintings. 
From an early age, I sketched fashion illustrations from newspaper ads--I have always loved sketching. In 1995, I started my art career with charcoal and watercolor.  In 1997 I discovered my true passion, pastels. Working with pastels allows me to impulsively capture a mood…a place…a time because drawing and painting become the same motion.
I now call Rio Rancho NM my home, where I live with my patient husband and a cat who think he owns the place.
Here are some of the places my art work has been displayed, both past and present:

Galleries
1998 - 2001:  The Gallery At Rich Designs in Colorado Springs, Colorado
1999 - 2007:  Gallery A, Taos, New Mexico
2007 - 2009:  Grimshaw Fine Art, Taos, New Mexico
2007 - 2011:  Weems Galleries and Framing, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2022 - Present:  Weems Galleries and Framing, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Exhibits
September 1998 - Clean Air Campaign Art Exhibit, Colorado Springs, Colorado
June 2000 - All-gallery-artist show, 40th Anniversary Celebration, Gallery A, Taos New Mexico
August 2000 - Two-person Exhibition, Gallery A, Taos, New Mexico
July 2001 - One-woman Exhibition, Gallery A, Taos, New Mexico
March 2007 - Three-woman Pastel Exhibition, Weems Galleries and Framing, Albuquerque, New Mexico
October 2021 - 31st Annual Arts Thrive, Exhibit & Benefit, Albuquerque Musemun, New Mexico