Artist Statements |

Photography is the art form that uses my left brain’s love of technology and gives my right brain the ability to sculpt images with light and composition. It provides me with the tools to capture the fleeting seconds of time on this journey through life. A journey that we share with the wild things and natural spaces both above and below the sea. From Africa’s remote Mountain Gorillas and “Big Five” to India’s Tigers and Chile’s Pumas, from the coral reefs of the Caribbean, Indonesia and the South Pacific to most of the Americas’ mammals and birds, these adventures inform my art. When photographing wildlife, all that planning and technical competence allows me to document those special moments I was fortunate enough to witness.

My inspiration is the natural world around us. I have been blessed with a lifetime of travel around this globe we share. I have experienced many wondrous wildlife encounters and met amazing people in exotic locales. These adventures inform my art. Over the years, I have worked on a variety of surfaces for my paintings including: hot & cold pressed papers, canvas, Yupo and Aquabord. I pick from these based on the effect I am looking for in a particular work. When I want a loose feel to the painting, I will choose to use Yupo or Aquaboard, because the paint is retained as very saturated colors and flows beautifully. Canvas adds a texture for watercolors not available on any other surface and has the benefit of not having to be framed behind glass. With the subject and the surface selected, I then decide how best to render my vision. While watercolor paint is my primary medium of choice, I also work in hard pastels. I often combine the two, and at times add ink or gold leaf to tighten and give emphasis to the subject.

We have been blessed with a lifetime of travel around this globe we share. David has spent his adult life covering wildlife above and below the water. The quotation, "If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." is attributed to Jim Richardson at National Geographic and they have experienced many wondrous wildlife encounters and met amazing people in exotic locales. From Africa’s Big Five and Mountain Gorillas, India’s Tigers, Indonesian and the South Pacific coral reefs to most of the Americas big cats, birds and the Caribbean’s reefs, these adventures inform their art.

Our website, b2gallery.com, provides examples of the major techniques used in their large body of work and showcases the exotic destinations they have been privileged to explore. In addition to custom prints from their gallery at Fine Art America, David offers a number of limited edition prints (no more than 20 in a series) and Pat offers original paintings and pastels.

Biography

David and Pat Beebe were both born in Tampa, FL where they still live today. David has had a camera in hand since 1971. Since retiring from a 35 year career in Information Technology in 2012, he has taken tens of thousands of photographs.

David completed his second term as president of the North Tampa Arts League (northtampa-arts.com) and remains on the board of directors. He is active in the local art community. His jaguar photos were featured on Nat Geo Wild’s Big Cat Week special “Hunt For The Shadow Cat”. His travel photos and stories have been published in Luxe Beat Magazine. His wildlife photography has been included in 2 shows at Rare Hues and at the Carrollwood Cultural Center. His photography has also been on exhibit at Jimmy B Keel and New Tampa libraries, The Bunker and Coppertail Brewery in Ybor City.

Pat has been painting in watercolor since 1992. Since retiring from a career in Information Technology in 2011, she has devoted herself to further developing and fine tuning her artistic expression.

She has shown her work at the Jimmy B Keel and New Tampa libraries, Lowry Park zoo and local hospitals. She joined the North Tampa Arts League in 2013. Recently some of her art work was shown at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, Coppertail Brewery and at Hunters Green Country Club.