Perhaps one of the most beautiful ways to experience nature is in the form of art, as it brings about a way of expressing and conveying certain feelings. Art can give a moment of pause and reflection, particularly in a chaotic world like the one in which we live today.
A piece of peace
The ability to affect a person’s feelings through art is one of the primary reasons Linda Beeman is so excited to share her work with the Toledo area at the Perrysburg Municipal Building. She was asked to exhibit her work after a patient remembered seeing her prints at the University of Michigan Hospital.
According to Linda Beeman, it was that conversation with the prior patient and what she refers to as “the ability to have someone find peace in my work,” that has become one of her most proud moments in her artistic career.
Linda Beeman has been recognized across the world for her expertise in the style and her beautiful pieces. She has won various awards for her prints, and her artwork has been displayed in exhibits from Michigan all the way to Japan. Fortunately for those in the Toledo area, her work can currently be viewed here in Northwest Ohio.
Naturally inspired
Peace and tranquility are a couple words that describe Beeman’s prints. Created using the Japanese moku hanga technique, Beeman captures various landscapes typically from Michigan and Japan where she spends most of her time. The lakes, fields and mountain landscapes are the primary inspirations for her work.
Beeman began woodblock printmaking while in college, but decided to branch out and look for a non-toxic way to create prints. Through her research she came upon moku hanga which translates to wood print. The technique, instead of using ink like most printmaking, uses watercolor. Watercolors are brushed on carved wooden blocks which are then overlaid onto Japanese washi, an all-natural type of Japanese paper typically made of tree bark or shrub. The moku hanga style is very time consuming and each wood print is carved by hand.
When asked what she hopes viewers will take away from her work, Beeman stated, “I’d like people to find that moment that touches them and makes them think of the peace they can find in nature.”
Through Friday, October 16. 8am-4:30pm Monday-Friday
Perrysburg Municipal Building, 201 Indiana Ave., Perrysburg
lindajbeeman.com | mainart-ery.com
