Rebecca Pearce
Staff Writer
Photo credit: Rebecca Pearce
Rodney Beecher Roberts unleashes his art on the North Carolina community in his “Looking Backward…Moving Forward” art exhibit running Jan. 12 through 21 in Greensboro’s neighboring city of Graham. Robert’s pieces are beautiful, abstract works constructed through multiple layers of paint. Roberts’ freeform style makes each of his pieces vastly unique and accommodating to a broad range of tastes.
Roberts’ first exhibit for the new year, “Looking Backwards…Moving Forward,” is being hosted in the Scott building of downtown Graham, North Carolina. In this exhibit, there are more than 50 paintings on display that Roberts has created in the last year. The showing, which will also include live music and refreshments, will be on display Jan. 12-21 and Jan. 28, from 6-9 p.m. Roberts is expected to be present while his work is on display a majority of the time at each showing, and will be available to discuss his painting or answer any questions.
Of his “The River of Thought,” which Roberts’ sites as his favorite painting on his website, “This painting is a mixture of earth tone colors, incorporating many green and yellow tones. Layered in a scattered manner, with a large watermark that seems to resemble a river. This painting and many others in the showing would be a perfect addition to a living room or any empty room space.”
Even though Roberts has been an artist the majority of his youth, he did not professionally pursue art until he attended The Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, California. He soon discovered that he did not want to be directed by his teachers on the concepts of painting. So Roberts then departed from the structured way of creating his artwork and continued to work on his art when possible with the responsibility of supporting his family and holding a full time job. Roberts moved to London in 2002. While he resided in the UK, Roberts held exhibits Paris London and Hertfordshire.
Roberts art career reached its peak during his brief time living in the UK, painting full time which had been his lifelong dream. He then moved back to US to be closer to his family, settling down in Alamance County, North Carolina. Now that Roberts has returned to the states he continues to grow both professionally and personally, maintaining a successful career as an artist as well as reserving the title of both loving husband and dedicated father of five. Roberts hopes to reach a financially stable point in his art career, which will allow him to relocate to more desirable locations such as the scenic mountains of Asheville, North Carolina.
Of his artistic process, Roberts said on his website, www.artbybeecher.com, ”My thoughts and actions emerge from the subconscious, resulting in multiple layers of acrylic and oil, brushed, rubbed, dripped, sprayed, scraped or scratched onto canvas or board which evolve over time into finished works.”
Robert possessed an innate passion for art, choosing to defy the conventional, structured forms of art. He found that he did not always to paint in a structured way, instead he would create his pieces through his emotions and simply let the imagination flow. The underlying message behind Robert’s works of art may be difficult to define. Instead of focusing on the message, Roberts said on his website he “paints his own subconscious” and focuses on “how the art makes the audience feel, not necessarily the meaning itself.” Roberts wants the audience to draw their own conclusions on his art’s message. He deeply believes in the importance of being in touch with your emotions and painting the subconscious.
“These paintings may call to mind thoughts, ideas or memories, but are most successful when acting as a visual stimulus, triggering an emotional response, reminding the viewer for a brief moment of the human ability to be aware of ourselves and the universe around us,” said Roberts.
Roberts pieces shows us a new side of art. This side does not have to have a devised plan; instead, it is one that is always open to a range of diverse interpretations. Although not fully established in his career, Roberts continues to be noticed as a talented member of the North Carolina art community. For more information on Robert’s art, autobiography or contact information you can visit his website “Art by Beecher” at www.artbybeecher.com.
Categories: Features, human, Human Interest
THE CAROLINIAN 
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