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