Global Gallery
HOMEKNOWLEDGE CENTER

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES - SARAH VAN BECKUM

Artist Biographies

Sarah Van Beckum

Most of Sarah Van Beckum's formative years took place on a 160 acre farm in Wisconsin, with a one year diversion to Colombia, South America. Now residing in Colorado, Van Beckum has enjoyed living in both Mexico City and Paris. "In Mexico I learned to love the primitive art and the whimsy and colors of Mexico. The aesthetics of the countryside of France, as well as the culture, art and elegance of Paris provided another view of the world." Indeed all of these experiences are present in the paper, paint and stitched works that Sarah produces in her studio near Denver. Her artwork beautifully incorporates the many artistic skills she has developed over the years, with a multicultural accent throughout. Her work has varied from dressmaking and tailoring in a couturier shop to teaching high school Spanish and French. But four years ago she opened her studio and began to market her artwork, the most rewarding work she can imagine.

Sarah's interest in design and textiles started as a child when she imagined fabric designs in her head and transferred them to paper. She greatly admired a family friend who was a children's book illustrator, "a wonderfully creative cook, a master gardener as well as an exquisite artist," thus fascinating the young and impressionable artist. "She worked in such fine detail with tiny brushes, and I was captivated to catch a glimpse of her at work in her home studio."

Another person influenced Van Beckum's career when she attended Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. Her design teacher was a renowned textile designer who taught design through silkscreen printing on textiles. "We created design and pattern and printed our work on 3 yard pieces of fabric," Sarah recalls. Her love for screen printing has endured ever since, and is an integral part of her present work. Sarah's collages consist of materials she creates herself. "I start my work by dying Goya rice paper which is quite fibrous and will withstand dye baths without disintegrating. I silkscreen and/or stamp print found objects to create background interest and texture. Collage, hand-painting with gouache, and finally stitching with metallic threads are some of the final applications."

Sarah now exhibits her work in galleries in the United States and Europe. She is in the permanent collections of many corporations including Merrill Lynch and Kohler Co. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Tim, and their three sons, Jake, Sam and Augie.


We currently have no available images by this artist. Sorry.