Pamela Beer Artist - There is Life after Corporate

Pamela Beer

Issaquah, Washington

Favorite movies: Phenomenon 1996 with John Travolta.

Favorite music: YoYo Ma, Queen, Santana

Favorite foods: I love warm chocolate cake, no icing, just the cake. It feels like a big warm hug. 

Favorite color: I just love orange right now, it is so vibrant and just sings out loud. Hot pink is becoming a new favorite.

 

I have spent 30 years working in a corporate office, competitive, technical, and time consuming, and definitely too structured. I painted in my spare time for all those years. I believe that is what saved me. In the last few years, working in corporate was getting to be a bit much for a creative spirit, not much opportunity to enjoy people and to be creative.... push, push, push, save money, do things more efficiently. I did it, but now I am free!

 

 

I am an artist who works mainly as an  abstract expressionist. I started out in water color about 28 years ago and painted mainly scenery, flowers, buildings, then pets, and people in acrylic. I have worked in most mediums at one time or another to try them for awhile, but I seem to always gravitate to acrylic and/ or mixed media. I love texture, I purposely layer paper, paint, and build up the substrate to give my work lots of texture. I tend to gravitate toward color and since some of my more conservative friends want to buy softer colors I have to turn down the dial on color for commissions.

 

How did you get started with art?

I got started when my daughter was about two years old. She and I were frequently alone while my husband traveled, the painting gave me something to do. She and I did a few works together when I could get her to be patient enough.

 

Do you have any professional educational background?

BS in Business, MS in Psychology but I am a self-taught artist. I read everything I can about art, try new things, and paint, paint, paint.

 

Where do you work, and do you enjoy it?

I am a Freelance artist working in acrylic medium on canvas doing abstract expression. I  also do  an occasional commission. I love what I do, I am living my dream. After so many years in a corporate environment, the freedom of freelance is ....well freeing! I love that I can make my own schedule and do the things I really have a heart for doing. Running this as a business is a lot of work, but somehow this is different than working for someone else.

 

Where do you find inspiration?

From My experiences, my peeps, and just from God's beauty all around us.

 

Please tell us about your influences.

I am fascinated by Kandisnky and Klee.

 

What have you done to promote yourself on the internet?

I have set up a webpage and linked it to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I also have a Linked In profile. I am just getting started and have so much to learn about promoting myself online or anywhere else.

 

If you have a website, how has that been going?

I am improving it as I learn more each week that passes. I have only been on this journey since June 2013! See PamelaKBeer.com

 

Do you have any achievements or interesting stories you can tell us about?

My husband is a huge influence by way of encouraging me to paint. Very early in our marriage, I picked up a brush and some paint and tried a painting I found in a magazine. After that he kept encouraging me to learn, took me to the art store and bought me the best supplies we could get. Thirty one years later he is still encouraging me. This is the reason that the movie Phenomenon, 1996 with John Travolta stands out for me- because George bought all of Lace's chairs.

 

 

Tell us something embarrassing that happened in your life.

One time while living in Atlanta, we did a project for the Fourth of July. My husband constructed a wood frame two feet wide and six feet tall and stretched some canvas we found onto it. I had no idea how to use oil paint, I had never tried it before. I didn't gesso the canvas or anything, the paint soaked through and was quite a mess, the dog, our little Shitzu walked on it, my daughter walked on it, we had paint all over the carpet through-out the house. What a big mess, but the cool thing was we had our dark background painting with exploding fireworks on it and some glitter, of course. Last year we were clearing our our attic and found this monstrosity. We'd brought it with us from Atlanta ( you got me on why), and it was uglier than I remember. So, I've tried to resurface it and do something else with it but it is still sitting in my storage area with stuff glued to it for a mixed media event at some point in the future. I'm hoping this turns out better than the last time around.

 

What plans for the future do you have?

I intend to enjoy this artistic journey and bring others along with me. I believe people have forgotten how to relax and just enjoy their lives. I want to be part of helping people heal internally from all the demands that the world placed upon our shoulders. I love to teach and it turns out those who’ve taken an art class or two from me tell me they love my teaching style and enjoy the process. So I expect to teach a little more and keep on painting.

 

Can you share some parting advice with other painters?

Hang out with people who love you and paint your heart out.

 

Website: PamelaKBeer.com | Blog: Pamelakbeer.com/blog