McPherson Public Library

Artist Statement

I work primarily in painting, drawing, and printmaking, most often inspired by nature and interactions with my surroundings. My early experiences exploring the outdoors were formative for me, and are now conveyed in my representation of the natural world. I am drawn to the beauty of organic forms such as the curl of a leaf or delicacy of a flower stem. While I most often can be found painting, recently I have been working in the gel plate printmaking process. This process involves mixing paint directly onto a gel printing plate and then printing layers of color as well as placing objects on top of the paint that leave either an impression or silhouette. Through experimenting with this method of artmaking, I utilize color mixing skills from painting, work directly with nature, and explore the emotional and aesthetic impacts of varying color palettes. In this process, layering colors and shapes becomes a play between positive and negative space, both presence and absence. I am intrigued by how an object’s impression or silhouette can both represent the object, but neither one is a direct image. Working in this printing process has been a rewarding experience of exploration in the natural world, color, and space. I am excited to see how this body of artwork continues to develop, and the possibilities for transmitting it to a painting format in the future.

Artist Bio

Beckie Vega is an artist and assistant professor of art at Bethany College. Prior to moving to Lindsborg, Beckie received her M.F.A. in painting from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and attended McMurry University in Abilene, Texas for her B.A. in studio art. Her artwork has been featured recently in the Lincoln Art Center (July 2023) and the 54th annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition.