BIO
Bev Gegen is a painter and artist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She is best known for her series of abstract compositions as well as her contemporary garden paintings. Her work is inspired by the beauty of the natural world and the versatile materiality of paint. When she is not tending her garden, you can find her in studio constantly creating new work.
Gegen studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute. Studying under master painter Wilbur Niewald, she was educated in the astute awareness of color and form. She also studied in the studio of painter Philomene Bennet, where she was introduced to an understanding of abstraction and structure. Growing up, her mother was an artist for Hallmark and was Gegen’s first inspiration into the pursuit of artistic creation.
Gegen’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the United States. Her work can be found in many private and public collections such as the Stower’s Research Institute, University of Northern Iowa, Remax Realty, Intercontinental Hotel, and Mercy Medical Center. She is an active member of the American Pastel Society and the Kansas City Artist Coalition. Her work can be found at Moberg Fine Art Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa and Strecker-Nelson Gallery in Manhattan, Kansas.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a child growing up in Kansas City, I spent long summer days with my mother in her flower garden. At this young age, I was inspired by the beauty of the natural world. In this sacred space, I cultivated my awareness of color and form which has carried influence throughout my career as a painter.
I see my paintings as visual impressions of lyrical abstract form. I allow my eyes and hands to work intuitively together allowing my paintings to develop in a naturally free form. I utilize an array of painting techniques each for their own unique material qualities. Using brushes, palate knives, and squeegees, I create thin washes of color contrasted by bold strokes of paint. Frequently, I finish the compositions with drawings in charcoal and oil bar. I continue to work the surface of the canvas until an equilibrium of space is realized. At that point in time, the painting takes on an independent reality of its own.
As an artist who was trained in traditional realism, I view my work as a contemporary mixture of abstraction and representation. Surface qualities, compression of space, and the tactility of paint all play a crucial role in my creations. Inspired by artists such as Claude Monet, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, and Gerhard Richter, I seek to discover new ways of representing the physical world through light, color, and composition. As my work continues to develop, I still remain inspired by my perennial garden with the same fondness and wonder of a child.
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GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA
SNW Gallery & Custom Frames, Manhattan, KS
Eva Reynolds Fine Arts Gallery
Education
1997-2001 Philomene Bennett Studio
1989-1990 Kansas City Art Institute
1985-1987 University of Missouri at Kansas City
1981-1984 Maple Woods Community College
ExhibitionS
2023 Brush with Nature, Strecker-Nelson West, Manhattan, KS
2022 Women to Watch, Erin Dziedzic, Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, KCMO and National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.
2021 Group Show, Eva Reynolds Galley, Leawood, KS
2020 Group Show, Eva Reynolds Gallery, Leawood, KS
2019 An Endless Line, Strecker-Nelson West, Manhattan, KS
2018 Garden Party, André's Confiserie Suisse, Kansas City, MO
2018 Pigments & Patinas, Eva Reynolds Gallery, Overland Park, KS
2018 Little Things Bright & Beautiful, Strecker-Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2017 Summer Abstracts, Strecker-Nelson West Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2016 Jersey Shore Solo Show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2014 Group Show Moberg, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA
2013 AbXxIII, group show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2013 Vaporetto Views, solo show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2012 Only the Best, group show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2012 Moberg Anniversary Show, group show, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA
2011 New Paintings, group show, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA
2011 Abstract Paintings and Collages, solo show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2009 Beneveda Opening, group show, Beneveda Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA
2008 New Paintings, solo show, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Gallery, KCMO
2008 Abstract Expressions, solo show, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA
2007 Abstraction: the Language of Art, group show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2006 New Paintings, group show, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Gallery, KCMO
2006 First Impressions, solo show, Moberg Gallery, Des Moines, IA.
2006 Truthful Expressions, group show, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2005 Sweet Disorder, solo show, Hallar Gallery, KCMO
2004 Perennial Themes, group show. Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, KS
2004 East Meets West, solo show, Hallar Gallery, KCMO
2003 New Works, solo show, Hallar Gallery, KCMO
2003 Jewels, solo show, J Ward Jewelers, KCMO
2002 Perennial Themes, solo show, Charno Gallery, Kansas City Artist’s Coalition, KCMO
2001 Spicebush Swallowtails, solo show, Venue Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2001 New Works, solo show, Campanella Gallery, Park University, Parkville, MO
2000 Heartland Artist’s Exhibit, group show, Merriam, KS
1999 21st Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Salina Art Center, Salina, KS, Hamza Walker, Curator, University of Chicago
1998 KCAC Remembers Exhibit, group show, Kansas City Artist’s Coalition, KCMO, Dana Self, Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Professional Organizations
Kansas City Artist’s Coalition
MidAmerica Pastel Society
Public & Corporate Collections
Stowers Institute of Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
Aviva USA Headquarters, West Des Moines, IA
Wellmark Corporate Headquarters, Des Moines, IA
Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines, IA
Iowa Initiatives, Des Moines, IA
Brick & Gentry Law Firm, West Des Moines, IA
North West Financial Group, Arnolds Park, IA
Remax Realty, Des Moines, IA
Emprise Financial Corp.,Wichita, KS
Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community, Manhattan, KS
Ogletree, Deakins & Nash Law Firm, Kansas City, Missouri
Raphael Hotel, KCMO
433 Ward Parkway Condo Association, KCMO
InterContinental Hotel, KCMO
Milbern Country Club, Overland Park. KS