Those who influence ~ my most revered artist is Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot.

The Barbizon school of painters was part of an art movement towards realism in art which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time and was active from 1830-1870. The Barbizon school was made up of a group of artists who took their name from the village of Babizon, France near Fontainebleau Forest.

In 1824  the Salon de Paris exhibited works of John Constable. His rural scenes influenced some of the younger artists of the time, moving them to abandon formalism and to draw inspiration directly from nature. Natural scenes became the subjects of their painting rather than mere backdrops to dramatic events.

During the Revolutions of 1848, artists gathered at Barbizon to follow Constable’s ideas, making nature the subject of their paintings.  The leaders of the Barbizon school were Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Theodore Rousseau, Jean-Francois Millet and Charles-Francois Daubigny.

The Barbizon School of painters was the precursor for the French Impressionist painters. If you love impressionism and it’s history, it might be of interest to search for the aforementioned amazing Masters.

Do you paint?  Do you want to learn to paint?

I will be offering Beginning & Advanced Acrylic Painting Classes starting Wednesday, March 7.

Here are all the details:

Dates:         Every Wednesday, starting March 7
Time:          1pm – 4pm (3 hour class, 4 week sessions)
Location:    An Artful Touch; 12437 116th Ave. NE, Kirkland, WA

Classes will be on-going with one-on-one instruction and featuring “Golden Open” paints.

Please contact: Sharron Woolsey at 425-823-2336 or  support@artfultouchonline.com

I have over twenty years of experience with personal art sales and commissions. I also offer Private & Group Painting instruction in my studio.  To view my work and style visit my website gallery.

Check out my TV interview!

Enjoy the Journey!

Beverly

Blogging Memories ~ We will be traveling through my paintings of the British Isles, then to Europe and the United States I hope you will enjoy the journey as I share the memory of my many paintings. The paintings blogged are taken from the Art Gallery on my website.

Today we are traveling in England; Southwest through the grandeur of Devonshire.

“After the Rain”
Devon, England

A weekend trip to Cornwall brought picture postcard beauty as we traveled through Devonshire.  Another trip to Devonshire was also on the planning board as it has so much to offer – from the heathland to the cliffs, and the beaches of Torbay.  Inland is Dartmoor, a National Park.  This is the land of the ‘heatherclad moorland” which was made famous in the Sherlock Holmes mystery, “The Hounds of the Baskervilles”.

A cloudy, misty morning much like weather in our home state of Washington brought a limited view of the surrounding countryside.  The Lorries (trucks) crowded the motorway and brought unsettling anxiety, prompting a tea break followed by a side trip out through the countryside.  The summer’s morning began to lighten as did our spirits.  We drove past many charming thatched roof cottages with lush gardens and pruned hedges, and on through open fields of velvet green sweeping with yellow gorse following the curvature of the land.

Then, suddenly, the clouds opened and the sun shone through and I yelled “Stop! Stop!”  My husband being the calm and settled kind of gent, slowed the car and asked if I would like to turn around?  Living with an artist, he knew that there was perfectly good reasoning behind my hysteria.  The clouds had opened and the sun was shining on a thatched cottage with lovely gardens and the largest rose hedge I had ever seen!  With camera in hand, I approached the drive, and a lady in a yellow slicker came walking toward me.  I exclaimed something to the notion that I was a painter and would it be okay if I photographed her beautiful garden to paint?  I remember a smile, then a raised eyebrow and she said, ‘not until I take cover’.  Grateful for her kindness, I know just where she hides behind the rose hedge.

My sister, Jeanette, amorously refers to this painting as the “lady behind the roses”.  I reminiscently call it “After the Rain”.

Blogging Memories ~ we will be traveling through my paintings of the British Isles, then to Europe and the United States. I hope you will enjoy the journey as I share the memory of my many paintings from the Art Gallery of my Website.

Today we visit the beautiful Hoghton Tower Gardens.

Michael and I awaken to a beautiful morning in Lytham and decided a day trip was the order for the day. The drive to Hoghton Tower was filled with brilliant sunshine and soft floating clouds cradled by a timid breeze. What we thought was to be  a day of quiet stroll through the lavish gardens turned into a fun filled local fete.

Vendors filled the gardens with their local wares. I bought lavender lotions and creams in stunning cobalt bottles. A small musical ensemble played while we munched on scones and drank hot tea in proper tea cups. It was all so very English and we loved every minute of the revelry. We decided to shop early for Christmas gifts and found a woolen merchant and bought delicately woven jumpers (sweaters).

After a bit, while Michael talked with a brass merchant, I began to wander the walled garden. The rampart intrigued me as I followed the stately wall, marveling the antiquity of the fortress. I realized how large the walled garden was as I walked the various rooms of open garden protected by the stately stone walls. While the festivities continued I found solace while images of Mistress Mary conjured up author Frances Hodgson Burnett’s description of her cherished “Secret Garden”.

Then I found it, I found the garden gate!  Pulling paper and pen from my tote I wrote the poem “The Secret Garden” found in my book “Come Walk With Me”~ A Poetic Journal. Quickly flipping the page I began to sketch and noted the colors and the way the sun played creating shadows that must be captured without delay. I then photographed and with permission from the estate, painted with awe what I interpreted as my impression of the Secret Garden.

The Secret Garden©-Original painting

 “Secret Garden”©, Hoghton Tower Gardens, Lancashire, England- My painting found on my websitehttp://www.beverlyhooks.com/  art gallery/gift shop for giclee print.

“Hoghton Tower, a Grade I listed building,  is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family. The de Hoghton’s are descended directly from Harvey de Walter, one of the companions of William the Conqueror, and through the female line from Lady Godiva of Coventry, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia.

Since its re-creation in 1565 by Thomas Hoghton this ancient, fortified, hilltop manor house has retained its Tudor-Elizabethan character and construction in its entirety.

The Tudor gardens, wilderness lawn and rose gardens decorated with ornate stone fountain are a photographer (Artist) dream. Clipped yews lead to ramparts ~ castellated walls and fairytale turret with commanding views across Lancashire, the Lake District and North Wales.”

Hoghton Tower is the only true baronial residence in Lancashire, England. For more information visit their websitewww.hoghtontower.co.uk/ **

**Factual information is taken from the stated website.

Cheers, Beverly

What a wonderful Christmas spent with my Sister, Jeanette, Mother, Agnes and extended family and friends! Fantastic food with lots of laughs and joy!

While traveling, I have met many wonderful people and I thank you for your interest in my work and your many purchases. A special thanks to Ravens Books, in Issuaquah, Washington for a lovely book signing, may your new year be prosperous and joyful!

Asheville, North Carolina a beautiful and fun city. Thank you Malaprops Books, Asheville for a successful Book Signing!

Coming Jan. 6th – 1:00-5:00 ~ Book Signing at Fellowship Coffee House, Mena, Arkansas. Come, join me and enjoy a delicious express0 drink! Hope to see you there!!

Check out my website www.beverlyhooks for original paintings, giclee prints, “Come Walk With Me~A Poetic Journal” and note cards!

Wishing you a Happy and Properous New Year!!

…that is the question!

I hear from so many friends and clients that I need to reach more people with my art work, and the suggestion of a blog always presents its questionable head. I ask my self, “What do I have to say or share”?  Then, I realize that one of the questions most asked by those viewing my paintings is; “Is that a real place?”.  “Why, yes indeed” I answer, and the stories start to unfold. Or I hear – I think that’s England, Italy, Austria, Germany… or where in the States is that?

I wrote poems reflecting some of my paintings and our journeys through-out England, Europe and the U.S . and compiled them with 36 paintings, sought a publisher and now am published. “Come Walk With Me”~ A poetic Journal -is available on my website, in your local bookstores and through Tate Publishing. It was nationally distributed this past August.

A few years ago, my husband, Michael, and I spent eight months in the magical land of the British Isles. While he worked, I painted with new friends in the Lytham Art Society. Week after wonderful week I was introduced to hidden places rich in culture and amusing travels weaving through the velvet countryside. On weekends, we would direct our ambling gait to the far corners of the Island; returning home to the U.S.  with paintings, sketches, photos and many memories.   If you choose to follow me, I would love the company!

When viewing my website www.beverlyhooks.com you will find my ‘Art Gallery’  ~  that is our jumping off place, in retrospect let’s leap from the Home page!

“Garden Conservatory”
Ripley Castle Harrogate,  North Yorkshire, England

It was a day of sunshine and shadows. A day for touring the gardens and the Castle with its ancient history complete with a ‘Priest Hiding Hole’ used during the Elizabethan period. The priest hiding hole was ample for one man to stand alone in the secretive darkness!

The family still occupies the upper floors of the Castle, while enamored guests stroll the ornamental halls.www.ripleycastle.co.uk/

Approaching the Garden Conservatory, the shadows danced and Michael and I stopped to take in the welcoming view. The Conservatory stretched in width far beyond my painting. We entered a living conservatory weeping with humid nourishment filled with exotic plants. Upon exiting the rear of the building we walked lush forested ‘toe paths’ leading to a tranquil lake. As we stepped out upon the lake’s stepping stones which proceeded into the water itself, a herd of stag caught our attention grazing the lake’s island. It was unbelievably placid.

Then out of no-where, a dark shadow sped across the hills capturing and turning the clear water to dark intensity.  Suddenly thunder ripped the quiet as we stumbled, finding our way to solid ground. Michael grabbed my hand and with heads down we ran through the cold driving rain drops. I remember murmuring, “Oh, my gosh we got caught in an English thunder storm!”  At that point, drenched and cold, and identifying with a particular character, ‘Marianne’ in Jane Austin’s Sense & Sensibility; somewhere in a time warp, we raced out of the trees, scampered the pebbled drive and into shelter at the Boars’ Head Inn, (www.boarsheadripley.co.uk ) an old Coaching Inn  and part of the Ripley Estate.

Soaked to the bone, we were greeted by an open door and white fluffy towels, then lead to a cozy seating room. The staff had seen our mad dash for the Inn and greeted us with smiles and comfort!  We were served hot tea and, of course, scones and we lingered contentedly watching the rain soaking and renewing the lush rolling hills.