Beulah H. Brown
Encyclopedia
Beulah H. Brown aka Beulah Elizabeth Hazelrigg Brown, was a gifted Hoosier
artist and designer who married one of the Midwest's best known and stylistically expansive Impressionist Artists, Francis Focer Brown
.
and then spending two years teaching school in Oolitic, Indiana
. She had studied art briefly at the Conservatory, but it was enough to stir her interest, and she enrolled in the Herron School of Art
where William Forsyth
was her teacher. She married Francis Brown, a fellow student at Herron, three months after meeting him and continued a life of painting with her spouse. Both Beulah and Francis taught art around Indiana before finally settling in Muncie, where Francis had joined the faculty of Ball State University.
Beulah Brown was allegedly allergic to oil paints, which shaped the media in which both she and her husband worked. Beulah Brown was very well known for her winter scenes, still life and design works. Media for Beulah Brown's work consisted principally of various Textiles and Fabric
, as well as Crayon
drawings and watercolor paintings.
The Browns had four children, and Francis Brown joined the faculty of Ball State Teachers College in Muncie. Beulah was able to continue painting and earned money teaching, because her widowed mother moved in with them and did most of the housework. In 1932, the Browns added a large studio to their home, where Beulah and Francis often worked there together. It was also a family gathering place, with their children and friends playing there as well.
Beulah developed a special interest in fabric design, creating some very bold, colorful, abstract patterns, and she drew upon her flower garden for ideas. Also doing floral still lifes, she preferred working in watercolor because of hr allergies. This circumstance led her husband to paint in watercolor as well. In December 1949, she began to paint snowscenes, which became a very well known signature style among her works. In later years, sales from Beulah's paintings helped the Brown family income because Francis painting career was curtailed because of glaucoma. In order to help him paint, she would often arrange his palette in a certain way with colors.
Francis Brown died in 1971, and Beulah continued painting in the studio she had shared with him. She did a series of decorative naive style paintings that became very well known and led to comparisons her works to that of Grandma Moses, a celebrated American folk artist. Beulah resented the comparison to Moses because of her sophisticated schooling, and the fact that Grandma Moses was self taught.
Subject matter focus within Beulah Brown's work extended to Figure
, Genre
(Human Activity), Landscape
and Snow Scenes. In particular, Winter snow scenes and Genre scenes were regarded as Ms. Brown's specialty within her unique signature style. This signature style later earned Ms. Brown the distinction of being included among the Indiana's well regarded "Group of Twelve" contemporary Indiana women artists, whose works were well known to blend physical, intellectual and emotional intensity. The Group of Twelve were well known to have created a range of media and techniques used by women artists in Indiana today. These artists come from all regions of Indiana, and included Beulah Hazelrigg Brown, Betsy Stirratt, Charlene Marsh, Karen Thompson, and Bonnie Sklarski.
Highlights of the Group of Twelve's works were later illustrated within a catalog exhibit known as "Mind, Body and Spirit", that was assembled by Jean Robertson, Adjunct Professor of Women's Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
and Assistant Professor of Art History
at Herron School of Art
. Professor Robinson is curator of the "Matter Mind Spirit" exhibit and related catalog.
Exhibitions
Teachers
Schools
Source Information
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
artist and designer who married one of the Midwest's best known and stylistically expansive Impressionist Artists, Francis Focer Brown
Francis Focer Brown
Francis Focer Brown was a well-known American Impressionist painter, as well as professor and head of the Fine Arts Department at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana from 1925-1957, and Director of the Muncie Art Museum...
.
Biography
Beulah Brown became a student of art in 1915, after graduating from the Cincinnati Conservatory of MusicCincinnati Conservatory of Music
The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, which is now part of the University of Cincinnati.The...
and then spending two years teaching school in Oolitic, Indiana
Oolitic, Indiana
Oolitic is a town in Indian Creek and Shawswick townships, Lawrence County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Oolitic is located at ....
. She had studied art briefly at the Conservatory, but it was enough to stir her interest, and she enrolled in the Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
where William Forsyth
William Forsyth (artist)
William J. Forsyth was an American Impressionist painter who was part of the "Hoosier Group" of Indiana artists.Forsyth was the first student of the Indiana School of Art in Indianapolis and entered the Munich Academy along with T. C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams in 1882...
was her teacher. She married Francis Brown, a fellow student at Herron, three months after meeting him and continued a life of painting with her spouse. Both Beulah and Francis taught art around Indiana before finally settling in Muncie, where Francis had joined the faculty of Ball State University.
Beulah Brown was allegedly allergic to oil paints, which shaped the media in which both she and her husband worked. Beulah Brown was very well known for her winter scenes, still life and design works. Media for Beulah Brown's work consisted principally of various Textiles and Fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
, as well as Crayon
Crayon
A crayon is a stick of colored wax, charcoal, chalk, or other materials used for writing, coloring, drawing, and other methods of illustration. A crayon made of oiled chalk is called an oil pastel; when made of pigment with a dry binder, it is simply a pastel; both are popular media for color...
drawings and watercolor paintings.
The Browns had four children, and Francis Brown joined the faculty of Ball State Teachers College in Muncie. Beulah was able to continue painting and earned money teaching, because her widowed mother moved in with them and did most of the housework. In 1932, the Browns added a large studio to their home, where Beulah and Francis often worked there together. It was also a family gathering place, with their children and friends playing there as well.
Beulah developed a special interest in fabric design, creating some very bold, colorful, abstract patterns, and she drew upon her flower garden for ideas. Also doing floral still lifes, she preferred working in watercolor because of hr allergies. This circumstance led her husband to paint in watercolor as well. In December 1949, she began to paint snowscenes, which became a very well known signature style among her works. In later years, sales from Beulah's paintings helped the Brown family income because Francis painting career was curtailed because of glaucoma. In order to help him paint, she would often arrange his palette in a certain way with colors.
Francis Brown died in 1971, and Beulah continued painting in the studio she had shared with him. She did a series of decorative naive style paintings that became very well known and led to comparisons her works to that of Grandma Moses, a celebrated American folk artist. Beulah resented the comparison to Moses because of her sophisticated schooling, and the fact that Grandma Moses was self taught.
Subject matter focus within Beulah Brown's work extended to Figure
Figure
Figure may refer to:*A shape, drawing, or representation*Figure, wood appearance*Musical figure, distinguished from musical motif*Shaping a mirror on a reflective telescope*Noise figure, in telecommunication*Dance figure, an elementary dance pattern...
, Genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
(Human Activity), Landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
and Snow Scenes. In particular, Winter snow scenes and Genre scenes were regarded as Ms. Brown's specialty within her unique signature style. This signature style later earned Ms. Brown the distinction of being included among the Indiana's well regarded "Group of Twelve" contemporary Indiana women artists, whose works were well known to blend physical, intellectual and emotional intensity. The Group of Twelve were well known to have created a range of media and techniques used by women artists in Indiana today. These artists come from all regions of Indiana, and included Beulah Hazelrigg Brown, Betsy Stirratt, Charlene Marsh, Karen Thompson, and Bonnie Sklarski.
Highlights of the Group of Twelve's works were later illustrated within a catalog exhibit known as "Mind, Body and Spirit", that was assembled by Jean Robertson, Adjunct Professor of Women's Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis is an urban campus of Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Indiana University is the managing partner...
and Assistant Professor of Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
. Professor Robinson is curator of the "Matter Mind Spirit" exhibit and related catalog.
Exhibitions
- Hoosier SalonHoosier SalonThe Hoosier Salon is a non-profit arts organization that was founded in 1925 by a group called the Daughters of Indiana. That year, the Salon hosted an exhibit in the galleries of the Marshall Field and Company Building in Chicago featuring Indiana artists such as T.C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams and...
-Indiana
Teachers
- William Forsyth (artist)William Forsyth (artist)William J. Forsyth was an American Impressionist painter who was part of the "Hoosier Group" of Indiana artists.Forsyth was the first student of the Indiana School of Art in Indianapolis and entered the Munich Academy along with T. C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams in 1882...
- Francis Focer BrownFrancis Focer BrownFrancis Focer Brown was a well-known American Impressionist painter, as well as professor and head of the Fine Arts Department at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana from 1925-1957, and Director of the Muncie Art Museum...
Schools
- Herron School of ArtHerron School of ArtHerron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
-Student
Source Information
- Judith Vale Newton and Carol Ann Weiss, Skirting the Issue, pp. 87–93
Sources
- Mind, Body and Spirit - Publisher: Indiana University Press (March 1999)
- Ask Art
- Fine Estate Art
- Steven M. Lawson Kinnexions