Beckie Vega is an artist and art educator in Kansas. Beckie works in painting and drawing, representing both the human figure and nature. Her early experiences exploring the outdoors are reflected in her continued study of the forms and rhythms of the natural world. In her artwork Beckie represents themes of faith, exploration, and growth, exemplifying the connection between an outward and inward experience. She works in both oil paint and charcoal.
Beckie attended McMurry University for her B.A. in studio art (2015) and received her M.F.A. in painting from Stephen F. Austin State University (2019). Beckie’s work has been recently featured in the exhibition Perceptions and Presence with Javier Vega at the Lincoln Art Center, the 54th Smoky Hill Art Exhibition at the Hays Art Center, The Smoky Valley Arts and Folklife Center, the 52nd Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition (2021), the Figurative Art National Juried Exhibition at Dallas Metro Arts Contemporary (2021) and the homecoming 2020 alumni exhibition at McMurry University, as well as in a visiting artist exhibition “Effloresce” at Bethany College (2019).
Artist Statement
I work primarily in painting, representing both the human figure and nature. My early experiences exploring the outdoors are conveyed in my representation of the forms of the natural world. Nature, light, and gesture are outward symbols of internal experience in my artwork, making the intangible concrete. I seek to distill an emotion, thought, or narrative into paintings inspired by interactions with my surroundings.
Painting for me is an intersection of visual inspiration and introspection. Some of the most compelling imagery I find comes from observation of foliage, wildlife, and seasonal changes during outdoor walks. My underlying concept for a painting is a combination of this natural imagery with a current thought or theme in my life, connecting the rhythms of nature to the rhythms of my circumstances. I find satisfaction in aligning my outer and inner worlds on canvas. In doing so, I create another space where present realities and future possibilities meet, and where my ponderings have a chance to breathe and take on a life of their own.
Oil paint is primarily my medium of choice, as I enjoy both the tactile and traditional essence of the medium and the range of mark-making it allows for. I am inspired by the rich history behind the oil painting medium, and some of my favorite artists are those who embrace the physical nature of the oil paint, utilizing its qualities through a painterly style to convey narrative or symbolic imagery. In my approach to painting, I seek to create an understandable visual world and also appreciate the properties of the paint through layers, glazes, and brushstrokes. In some paintings I feature the tactile nature of the medium more prominently, and other times choose to focus most of my attention on the subject matter.
I find satisfaction in the connection between the seen and unseen that painting creates. Imagery brings thought to the surface and thought in turn creates more imagery. Delving into the language of painting through the medium itself and both personal and commonly recognized symbolism is an engaging process. Finding the balance between expression and contemplation is a quest that drives my artwork forward.