Move over Bob Ross. There’s a new paintbrush in town.
For the past few years, Ottawa multi-media artist Jes Vanderbeken shared her work over social media using her online tag Beacon House Arts . But when the world went into quarantine and the term self-isolation became a fixture in our day-to-day vocabulary, Jes saw an opportunity to turn her personal journey into an invitation for other artists as well as a way to help people cope with the new social distancing world they found themselves living in.
Art journaling is a method artists use to record their thoughts and inspirations. It can be a daily exercise to nurture their talents, sharpen their skills and remind them of what they love and why. It can also be just plain fun. But Jes explains that art journaling can be useful to help manage other challenges as well.
“Art Journaling for me is a form of self expression that really allows you to meet yourself on the page. It’s been incredibly helpful to me personally, in managing anxiety and ADHD, in that it allows me to slow down, and create a physical representation of my thoughts and feelings. Plus I get to look back on my work in these lovely little books (art journals) full of colour!”
“It’s been around awhile,” she says when asked how she’s been using the the name Beacon House Arts. “I wanted to have somewhere I could share what I was working on, to get feedback and general advice. It honestly started as an Instagram account, as a way for me to document my personal journey through learning how to paint, and trying different mediums.”
In fact the Internet has been an important engine moving Jes’ growth as an artist forward and she saw its value before turning Beacon House Arts from a mere online tag to a safe place to share with other artists. “There are so many amazing artists on Instagram and Facebook, it felt natural to share in the environments that I was consuming art myself. I have always been artistic, and I’ve always wanted to be able to express myself with colour. My goal is for my work to be relatable and raw, not technically perfect. That’s where ‘Art Journaling’ comes in for me.
But even without the various resources offered by the world wide web, Jes already had plenty of inspiration in her life. “I am lucky in that my Mom, Effy Wild, is an incredible artist and well known online art teacher, which is how I got into Art Journaling to begin with. She, and several other artists I admire from the Art Journaling community, started offering free live session on their pages as a way to help give people an extra artistic outlet during the social restrictions we’ve all been living through the last month or so. I was really inspired by the way these artists rallied their communities, and gave their followers/fans/students an opportunity to express themselves artistically, while being able to interact with the artist. When I participated, it definitely helped make isolation feel a little less lonely.”
Jes doesn’t just credit her mother for much of her inspiration, but for part of her education as well. She had already studied technical drawing, photography and still life at Montreal’s Dawson College before participating in collaborative online classes with her mother. In both cases Jes was invited to teach as well as participate (she was a guest artist in her mother’s online course Book of Days 2020, and her lesson went live at the beginning of April.) These interactive experiences would become the foundation of what she was trying to achieve with Beacon House Arts.
But if you’re looking for a straightforward “this is what we’re going to draw and this is how we’re going to do it” approach during Jes’ sessions, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Jes uses a random Tarot card to suggest the direction of the project. To keep things spontaneous and organic, she selects a prompt from a collection she keeps in a jar by her work area (prompts are specific yet open ended instructions like using a gift card to add paint to the picture or inserting swirly shapes). She even uses the prompts to involve her audience, asking if they think she should add another one during the project.
“I definitely took inspiration from the live art sessions my mom (Effy Wild) runs. I asked her if I could use a similar format, in using a jar of prompts to help keep art process going,” she says when asked where the idea of the prompt jar came from. “There can be a lot of pressure when you’re on camera do apply flawless technique, and I like that forcing myself to work spontaneously keeps my sessions light and allows me to interact with the viewers and answer questions. Where my sessions differ a little, is that I like to ask my viewers for input, and ask for suggestions. I want people to be able to participate, and get to see the results of that participation. It feels more organic and personal to me, which my art has always been about.”
But where did the tarot cards come from? “I don’t believe in prognostication,” she says “but rather appreciate the way the cards allow me to focus in on specific things, and take a moment to reflect on things that are impacting me at the time. The reason I use Tarot at the beginning is to inspire a starting point/topic for my work during a session.” She kicked off a session last week by selecting the Emperor card, a tree that suggests protection and stability. That inspired Jes to think of apples. “As I mentioned, art is really personal, and expressive for me, so I like to focus my feelings to help satisfy the need to personify it with colour and imagery.”
And she has found no shortage of support for either her.“Support from the community has always blown me away. In the online classes I have taken, everyone has always been so kind and encouraging. I have grown as a person and an artist in large part because of the feedback and support I have received in these art communities.”
“Obviously, this says volumes to those who host those communities, so I want to take a moment to shout out to the artists that have influenced me the most (Effy Wild, Sarah Trump and Tamara Laporte) because they have done a wonderful job of curating beautiful communities for their students to feel safe and supported in. Some of these are private communities, where you must be taking a class from the artist, but some of them are public as well (and are also hosting live public events right now!).”
“I want to continue collaborating with my supporters on Facebook through the live Art Journals & Juice sessions (Art Journals & Juice is a group Jess set up where she and other collaborators could share what they’ve done during the Beacon Art House sessions), and hope to continue to grow a community that benefits from having a safe place to land, drink some wine and be inspired to create.”
But while Jes keeps busy working on Beacon House Arts and Art Journals & Juice, she still has one eye on the future. “While Beacon House Arts has never been about selling my work, I do have some ideas about opening up commissions, (I make my own book for painting in from scratch, and love painting personalized gifts) and a Patreon for people looking for more “technique” focused content. For those interested in hearing about those kinds of things as they go live, I recommending reaching out to me directly on Instagram and Facebook (follow for updates!) and subscribing to my mailing list.”
In case Jes inspires you to create your own digital safe space to collaborate and share with like minded artists, she reveals that getting started isn’t the daunting, Herculean task you might fear it is. “I’ve always been artistic, so it was really just about finding the right mediums of expression to get started. This did include a lot of trips to the art supply store and participation in online content (YouTube has a plethora of free resources for anyone wanting to know how to do just about anything!) As far as building a public facing community, I was able to simply use the technology I have at home (I record with my iPhone, a camcorder, and I have a laptop and iMac I use for any video editing that might be needed).
“Of course I couldn’t do any of it without the support and patience of my wife Megan, or our sweet faced furbaby Fergus. They know when I’m in my studio that I’m in the zone, and being given the time and space to practice and record is something I am truly grateful for! You’d be surprised how hard it can be to create a daily routine that allows for “play time” like that, and Megan is amazing at reminding me when I get caught up in life, that my art practice is important not only to help improve my skills, but to help maintain my mental health! It’s really great knowing she’s got my back.”
Make sure to check out Beacon Art House on Facebook (where you can also join Art Journals & Juice), Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and you can add your name to her personal mailing list here. Who knows what kind of art community this could look like when all is said and done. One day soon you may just be attending shows at the prestigious Beacon House Art Gallery.
Image via Jess Vanderbeken
