Iowa City Artist Bekah Ash Debuts New Paintings; Talks Color, Style and the Joy of Painting

Bekah Ash, 32, of Iowa City, is an art teacher at Weber Elementary School in the Iowa City School District. She also happens to be a popular local oil painter, who has a new batch of paintings out in anticipation for the summer art festival season. Ash spoke with Iowa City Patch about her new paintings, her creative style and how she balances her life as an artist with her job as an art teacher.

Ash's work was also featured in our gallery . Images of some of her new paintings are attached to this article.

What local artist Patch should feature next? Tell us in comments or e-mail stephen.schmidt@patch.com

Iowa City Patch: So first of all, can you give a little bit of background about yourself? Such as your education and how you got into painting?

Bekah Ash: I am a graduate of the University of Iowa where I majored in art and also received my certificate in art education. My dad is a painter, so it was something I was familiar with, but I didn't ever paint until my junior year of college. Even then, I was more interested in printmaking and some other mediums, but after college I began to paint on a regular basis and I just never stopped.

Iowa City Patch: What about painting made you choose to focus on it over printmaking or another form of art?
   
BA: The process of painting is much more organic for me...I realized that with printmaking, there is so much planning for a final product, and so many steps to take to get there - that didn't end up matching well with my personal creative style.

I really love that when I begin a painting, I don't have a specific idea of what it will turn into in the end, nor the steps I'll have to take to get there. It just happens, and for me, that is a much more enjoyable process. Also, there is a unique way that I can use color with painting, and texture, that is unlike any other medium for me.

Iowa City Patch: Color seems to be a big part of your paintings. How do you choose what colors to use and how they balance against each other? Do you know the colors you're going to use beforehand or does it happen organically?

BA: Maybe a bit of both...I definitely "study" color, in fashion and design, and in nature, but when it comes to mixing colors and putting paint on the canvas, it is almost a gut feeling. There is definitely something to the idea of balancing colors against each other, but I can't say that it is something that I think about while I am painting. It is more of a feeling.

Iowa City Patch: Your subjects appear to be primarily portraits, and, at least in your most recent paintings, the portraits are almost all of women. Any particular reason for this?
   
BA: When I was a child, I was fascinated with people watching, making up stories, and designing houses and outfits for my dolls. As an adult, I think there is a carry-over of that fun observation and play. It isn't really a conscious choice to paint people, rather they are just stories in my mind that come out onto the canvas. I'm not sure why I paint mostly women...perhaps it is because I am a woman so the stories are, in a way, about me? Maybe it's simply because I like the hair styles and the clothes!

Iowa City Patch: You have a new batch of paintings out. Can you talk a little bit about how long it took you to produce them and how they differ if at all from your previous work?
   
BA: The paintings that I have just put up on my website were started in October 2011, and I would say 6 months or so is average. That isn't true of every painting; there are some that I have added to for years and years before they are finally finished. I enjoy painting quickly and "gesturally," but after applying a layer of oil paint, it is necessary to allow it to dry before adding another layer. I am somewhat impatient, though, so I work on many canvases in one sitting.

Even though I have been painting fictional portraits for my entire painting career, I can see striking changes in my style when I look through all of my pieces. It is possible to see where I went through certain phases and made series, for example the "Heavy Headed" paintings in which all of the girls' heads are tilted to one side. I can see continuity in each of these phases, but each one is unique from the others.

Iowa City Patch: You're also an art teacher at the Iowa City School District, correct? How do you balance your two different art careers, or do they compliment each other well enough that the balance comes naturally?

BA: Correct, I teach art at here in Iowa City. People often ask me how I find the time to paint after teaching all day, but it isn't a question at all - creating art is a basic and very important part of my life. Even though it is a career, it is so enjoyable and so necessary that I always find time. My two careers compliment each other very well -- I am constantly inspired by the young artists that I am teaching!

Iowa City Patch: How is it for you being an artist based in Iowa City?

BA: I am very proud to live in a town that has an incredible arts supporting and creating community. We are lucky to have so much great, local art here!

Iowa City Patch: Speaking of art in Iowa City, where can people see (and potentially buy) your art locally and in the region in the coming months?
   
BA: I am represented at the Downtown here in IC, as well as some other galleries in the Midwest. The next two art festivals on my schedule are in our area: the Marion Arts Festival, May 19th, and the Iowa Arts Festival in Iowa City, June 1-3. Links to festival info, as well as the rest of my itinerary for this season can be found on my website - www.bekahash.com.