Jim Beech
Sea Grape Gallery Artist Member since 2007
Fine Art Medium: Watercolor and Acrylic
I studied at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and Sheridan College, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. My background is primarily advertising design and commercial art, but I am now at a point where the majority of my time is spent working as an artist.
I began the adventure of handling watercolors in 1957, studying under George Wilde, a prominent illustrator in Philadelphia. Later I joined the Schunnemunk Art Guild in Orange County, NY, where I began to sell much of my work, mostly watercolor landscapes and buildings of unusual character. While these are subjects I enjoy, I have added boats, ships and other waterfront scenes to my list of story telling subjects.
By 1965 I was living in Orange County, New York and had established the Orange County Cultural Center. The center brought together artists, teachers, children, and adults, all interested in the arts. A very gratifying experience. Three years later I left to open a branch office of my agency in Canada and ended up living there, painting and selling my work when time permitted. I continued my watercolor studies at the Burlington Cultural Center, in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
In 1991, my family and I moved to Florida, and I incorporated tropical themes into my work. I am continuing to do watercolors and will also work in acrylics, and mixed media when the subject seems to dictate the use of the medium. I am presently a member of the Charlotte County Art Guild, the Florida Watercolor Society, and the Suncoast Watercolor Society, and am an associate member of the National Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society. My art can also be seen at the Englewood Frame Shop and Frames Of Mind in Englewood, Florida. In 2017, I achieved Signature Member Status in the Florida Watercolor Society.