Literally, they can be touched and a
subliminal understanding within my mind and
heart is transformed into reality. Connecting
these dots is like tracing constellations with a
paintbrush. Look up into the darkness of the
night sky and be awed by the unknown. In the
vastness of the universe, humankind is a speck
in that celestial sky. Our wars and worries,
joys and dreams are inconsequential in the
scope of outer space. Seeking peace amidst
the troubles of the world seems like a mirage.
Helen Beekman
Helen Beekman, sculptor and painter, works
and lives in New York City. She grew up in
Menlo Park and Inverness, California and in
1971 received a B.A. in Fine Art (focusing on
sculpture) from Mills College in Oakland,
California. Helen Beekman was a visiting artist
at The American Academy in Rome. Her work is
in private, corporate and museum collections.
“Peace is as mercurial as the night sky. Trying
to capture peace or holding stars in your hand
is a daydream. I want you to look deeply into
my hay sculptures. The painted hay is
manipulated on neutral surfaces where my
wordless thoughts and visions only imagined
become three dimensional palettes. Stars fall
into the hay like fireflies landing on grass.
Still, I am a believer in peace. I am uplifted
knowing that while our home rock floats in
the infinite darkness of nothingness, twinkling
lights brighten churning chaos. We are made
of stardust, the identical atomic elements
(oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen) of
the Milky Way. This is humbling but the very
nature of humans has something intangible,
optimism.
I peer into the night sky and hear John
Lennon’s song Imagine. I feel a sense of
possibility and peace. We humans are
stubborn, arrogant yet we try to be good
citizens on earth. We will fight for our blue
planet and peace. We are stardust with a
shared responsibility.”
Helen Beekman | April 2018
Shooting Stars
Hay, acrylic on Masonite
104 x 102 cm | 2017
www.helenbeekmanart.com
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