Beverley Hawksley

“Stories are important to me—the ones we are immediately aware of as well as the ones that come through excavation.”

‘Making’ has been part of my life as far back as I can remember. From the childhood cobbling of my own shoes (because of a fascination with some boots that Patsy Cline wore on an album cover), through my costume making, and through my knitting days as a young mother, resourceful creativity has felt as necessary to me as breathing.

I incorporated this obsession with creativity into a career as a hairstylist, all the while nurturing thoughts of some other world that seemed to be waiting in the wings for my full attention. Once my children had grown and I was in my early forties, I decided to explore this calling full-time. Since then, with self-direction and curiosity, art has been my day job, and it remains my obsession.

Primarily a figurative painter, I like to work large-scale and would describe my figures as being in a "state" rather than at a "location." The work has changed over the years, but there are recurring aspects that have been present since the beginning. The use of metal leaf, both in halos and in background textures, satisfies my love of the historical religious works that haunt my heart. Costume interests me, both for what it exposes and for what it covers up. I continue to explore these interests through the work, combining eras or indulging in fantasy. 

Attention to hairstyles and head gear are important to me as well. Certainly, I recognize that the tools are in my hands; however, I do feel as though the figures in the work show up with their own agenda. I am committed to honouring that.