I have been using watercolor off and on since 1994 when I kept a promise to myself and signed up for a series of beginning watercolor classes with Annie Pais, a well-known regional artist.  I then painted weekly with a group at Annie’s for a few years and, for the past seven years or so, with a group of friends most Wednesday evenings at my home.  I do some plein air painting, both here in North Central Florida where we live and also when we travel, especially in Northern California.  Most of my paintings are landscapes, but I do an occasional still life or more abstract piece.  Click on the thumbnails to see an  enlarged view of a few of my paintings.

More recently, I have become part of a non-profit educational cooperative, Journey Daybook Inc., founded by Margaret Pulis Herrick, an artist who lives in Cedar Key and a friend of many years.  In a Journey Daybook, one uses painting, writing and, occasionally, collages to describe an actual or metaphorical journey. What really hooked me on making these pages was the meditative process of sitting alone, being attentive, and then capturing with images and words the spirit of the moment (my pages).  I also enjoy helping organize the workshops and adventures Journey Daybook Inc. offers and am grateful to participate in the work we have done with school children locally.  To learn more about Journey Daybook Inc. and Peggy Herrick and the other artists involved: Journey Daybook Inc.

Clearly, doing art means more to me than simply putting brush to paper.  Painting is fun, frustrating, maddening and satisfying.  It’s a wonderful excuse for being outdoors and appreciating nature—and has provided a context for some enduring friendships.      
I also believe that doing art encompasses both an inner journey and an outer journey, the metaphor by which I’ve come to measure the various branches of my spiritual life. 

Barbara Beynon
bbeynon1@cox.net
January, 2009