Katie Beasley said she has been interested in art her whole life.
“I can’t remember not doing art,” she said.
The Washington-based artist said she does abstract oil paintings, some as large as 5 feet by 8 feet in size.
She will show off some of her smaller paintings at the third annual Washington Fine Arts Festival.
This year, more than 130 local artists and artists from around the country will showcase their work at the festival, which has been moved from the square to Washington Park.
“I’m interested to see the turn out,” Beasley said. “I’m hoping it being at the park will draw in a lot of families.”
Beasley said she will bring about 10 paintings to the 10 foot by 10 foot grassy space she has rented at the festival. Last year, she took best in show for a piece she brought.
Recently, Beasley has included current affairs into her art. She will show an abstract version of an ocean with oil, a piece she said was inspired by the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
Beasley paints in a basement studio at her home, which is not always easy for the stay-at-home mom of three.
“I get my stuff out and they want to paint too,” she said. “It’s a battle right now.”
To keep her children away from the toxic paint she uses to create her art, Beasley usually paints at night while they sleep.
Beasley grew up in Dekalb where she said she took art classes at Northwestern University as a child.
While she majored in drawing at Western University, she said there is a larger demand for paintings.
Because of this, she said her painting minor comes in handy.
Her art, she added, is rarely planned.
“I work by chance,” Beasley said. “Sometimes paint will drip and I’ll think, ‘Oh that’s cool,’” she said. “I’ll go with it and see what I can make out of a mistake.”
Having lived in Switzerland and Rome, Beasley often incorporates maps of such places into her artwork. She uses a technique called layering in which she paints over maps and other mementos to create a personalized, unique piece of art.
Beasley said she is often commissioned to make such works of art using airplane tickets and other keepsakes in order to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art that individuals can hang in their homes.
“To anyone else it looks like paper, but it’s personalized,” she said.
To see more of Beasley’s work, visit katiebeasley.com.
The festival is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For more information about the Fine Arts Festival, visit washingtonfinearts.org.
