Art Show "Highway 1" by Lynn Fogel and Francie Beaman
Reception: Sat., January 18th, 5 - 7 PM
Show runs from 1/16 to 4/5
Lynn Fogel
Lynn's Story
Lynn Fogel, now a Ventura local, was born in Santa Monica and raised in Santa Barbara. As a child, she painted as much as possible. Fogel adored art so much that she’d be “sick,” just so she could stay home and spend the day coloring.
Fogel excelled in art but upon graduation from high school, she was discouraged from following an artist’s financially challenging path. So, she spent the better part of her career in corporate offices in administrative positions. The work was unfulfilling for her at times. But it provided stability so she could pursue her passion for art in the evenings and weekends.
In her late 20’s, Fogel attended Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts and was never happier. She began painting in oils, and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art.
Lynn's Art
Eventually Fogel moved back to Santa Barbara, but this time she began selling every Sunday at the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts show. It was a demanding schedule: working full time, painting at night and on Saturday, and selling on Sundays. But she sold her art successfully for 19 years in this manner!
Fogel moved to Ventura to be with (her now husband) Kurt. As she moves towards retirement, Fogel gets to be in her artistic element. She sketches outdoors and takes photos before working in her studio in their backyard. It’s nestled among her garden that she’s tended, filled with drought tolerant, native plants. She paints when the inspiration strikes, listening to the surrounding sounds of her garden, getting so absorbed in her work that it becomes a painting meditation. Her decades of focus and practice has gained Fogel a loyal following!
Francie Beaman
Francie's Story
Francie Beaman has been pursuing art her entire life. She grew up in Ojai, and has always loved art. In fact, even her earliest memory is of her older brother teaching her art! When she entered grammar school, Beaman remembers how she looked forward to her weekly art class.
After high school she majored in art at Ventura College, and met her husband, Paul. They started a family and moved to Orange County.
Beaman continued her studies at Fullerton College, and became California’s first female computer animator! For the next twenty years she did freelance computer animation, specializing in the medical industry.
Francie's Art
A lifelong student, Beaman got her Bachelor of Art at CSU Long Beach in Animation and Industrial Design, followed by a teaching credential. With that, she taught computer animation and fine art to advanced level high school students in Santa Ana until 2020, when they moved back to Ojai.
Beaman’s art studio is on their property, allowing Beaman to steal away in the middle of the night when inspiration strikes. Often, she’ll be so absorbed that she’ll paint until the afternoon! She works in oils en plein air, taking many photos to assist with her composition. Later in her studio, with brushes and a palette knife, she adds color and design, and her own interpretation of that moment.
