Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2.    Your color palette has become almost a signature—calm, expansive, and unmistakably yours. What originally drew you to these hues, and how has your relationship with them evolved over time?

• ANSWER 2.   Thank you. That’s a wonderful but tricky question to answer. I love that people are noticing these evolving relationships in my work. 
  
  When it comes to color, what once was a highly deliberate palette selection has become almost entirely intuitive. I still choose about a dozen pastels at the start of each piece, but by the time the painting is complete, almost none of those original sticks remain in play. These days the choices feel like reflex—my hand reaches for whatever combination that “feels” right in the moment. I’ve never stopped believing in experimentation; I still love testing unexpected harmonies just to see how far I can push things.

Mike Beeman
Painter

BIO: Mike Beeman - Cheyenne, Wyoming

Mike Beeman works in pastel and oil, both in the studio and en plein air, painting landscapes, still lifes, figures, and wildlife—especially birds. He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, and Pastel Society of America, and he holds Master Circle status with the International Association of Pastel Societies. His work has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions and competitions, earning many awards, including the Silver Award in the Pastel Journal’s 14th Annual Pastel 100 (2013).

Representation Wild Horse Gallery – Steamboat Springs, Colorado

WEBSITE MikeBeeman.com

QUESTION 3. Even within a distinctive, recognizable style, artists evolve. Looking back over your body of work, what subtle shifts—technical or emotional—do you notice in how you portray birds today compared to when you first began?

• ANSWER 3.  I’d describe it as a subtle but steady shift in my working process over the years. I’ve definitely grown bolder—experimenting with different kinds of underpaintings as a foundation, playing freely with color, and trying a wider variety of surfaces.
  
  

  I’ve also become much looser in my application of the pastel itself; the strokes are more confident, less fussy, and I’m no longer afraid to let the energy of the mark show.

QUESTION 1.    Your birds balance tenderness with strength, rendered in bold strokes yet softened by impressionistic edges. How do you decide where to be assertive with your marks versus where to let the pastel stay whisper-light?

• ANSWER 1.     In my three paintings, the boldest strokes and hardest edges are concentrated in the focal area—almost always the bird’s head—then gradually soften toward the wings, feet, and supporting branches. Backgrounds and areas of bright light receive the gentlest, most diffused marks.
  
  

  My rule of thumb: hard edges and strong contrast advance; soft edges and low contrast recede. I control emphasis by adjusting value and temperature contrast around each edge.
  
  

  Backgrounds remain simple suggestive shapes—hints of foliage, sky, or hills.
  
  

  I vary mark-making to lead the eye and create tactile interest: assertive strokes for focal points and texture, whisper-light drags for dappled light and quiet passages.
  
  

  Every piece begins with a chaotic, non-objective underpainting (acrylic, watercolor, oil, or pastel) that sets an intuitive color foundation and invites experimentation.

"A Place in the Sun" 6x8 pastel

"Easy Pose" 6x8 pastel

"Something to Crow About" 9x12 pastel

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Mike Beeman.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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