Rising Stars: Meet Beverley Harper Tinsley of Evergreen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beverley Harper Tinsley

Hi Beverley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Every cell in my body and piece of my soul longs to experience life outside of time. We perceive time differently when we engage in certain activities and creative pursuits, and to me that is when I feel most alive. I’ve long known I could briefly escape the seeming prison of linear time when reading, listening to music, especially attending a live concert, dancing, dreaming, tending a garden, walking in the woods, sex, but I did not always know how that could become a career.

First Friday gallery walks provided a satisfying, and free, pastime during my twenties and early thirties, when money was scarce, and I loved visiting art museums on my travels, so perhaps it made some sense. At a time when I was working day and night as an ESL teacher for adults, and trying to save money toward gaining either a higher academic degree, or a home of my own. A friend suggested I take up art modeling for life drawing and sculpting classes at The Art Students League of Denver. I loved my interactions with language students from all over the world, but after a long day, or week, of teaching, this introvert did not feel much like talking. I could get paid to hold still? Perfect! Soon, I had evening and weekend work in classrooms and studios all around the Denver area.

I was thrilled to meet working artists of all levels, visit studios, learn while listening, and be in the space where creativity was a constant. I loved it there, and I wished deeply that I could be on the other side of the easel, creating something of my own. I could not conceive of that as a realistic possibility though, either financially or in terms of my skills, so I did not choose to pursue art education at that time.

Years later, my long working hours and persistence had paid off. With the money I’d saved, I had managed to buy a small half duplex for myself and my cat. Eventually, I married, and when I chose to start a family, discovered that even as a program director in the English as a Second Language field, I could not afford the cheapest child care available, for my newborn. I opted to stay home with her.

A childhood friend who had been an oil painter for some time planted the seed in my brain. I could also be painting. It was my husband who proposed that I sign up for an evening class. Remembering some favorite teachers from my time as an artist model, I chose to start with a beginning watercolor class taught by Dennis Pendleton. It changed my life.

My paintings were terrible at first, clumsy, messy, too wet or not wet enough. But with more instruction and practice I slowly progressed and I discovered the timeless place I could visit when making art, in the beautiful dance and dialogue of painter and painting, the flow.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
An unkind art teacher in elementary school had me thoroughly convinced that I could never make art, because I found drawing difficult. I was not the only artistic individual she discouraged, and I’ll never understand why a person would become an art teacher, if they expected the students to be in possession of technical art skills, already. Years later, as an adult, I still had to overcome my fear of making bad art. I’m a natural with color, but drawing is still challenging for me.

Freeing myself from expectation has been crucial to allowing myself to experience the joy of creating. To make some good art, it may be necessary to make a lot of bad art. It’s the experience of making that matters!

In the realm of making money, the art world is quite sensitive to times of uncertainty, such as we are experiencing now. Please, if you can, support your local artists, musicians, craftspeople and restaurants. We need them now more than ever. In that spirit, I currently display my paintings at Shadow Mountain Gallery, in Evergreen, Colorado, and you can also see my art at Evergreen Bread And Cocktail Lounge, Blackbird Cafe (Kittredge), The Painted Brush Gift Shop at Center For The Arts Evergreen, and Cabin Creek Brewing, in Georgetown.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I delight in experimenting with different media, but watercolor is where I have the most experience and skill. I see color vividly, so much so that I can sometimes hear or taste it. Rich, saturated color invokes a virtually inexpressible joy and passion in me. I fall into color. I believe color is what communicates easily in my work, and therefore, bright, playful, rich color is perhaps what I am known for. I prefer to mix color directly on the canvas or paper, playfully, and there is an element of risk there. The unexpected will occur. That’s where the thrill is!

In recent years I’ve experimented more with painting watercolor on mixed media canvas, and going much bigger. Watercolor paintings can be bold, vibrant, and statement making. It’s almost limitless.

How do you define success?
As a painter, success is the feeling of dancing with the art. I communicate through my painting, and my painting also communicates through me. It’s a sensual exercise in just being, and being in the moment. When I lose time completely, I know I’m there. It’s euphoric.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bhtartist.com
• Instagram: @bht.artist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beverley.Harper.Tinsley.Art
• Other: https://studiomoonshadow.bsky.social

Image Credits
Bryan Tinsley, Lilya Harper Tinsley