Local Artist Presents Gallery Exhibition

Hempstead resident Kelly Beekman will showcase her latest works of art Botanical Paintings at Barnes Gallery, (Two Nassau Blvd., Garden City South) October 2nd through November 3rd. The exhibition will highlight her Thereom Paintings, a painting technique developed in the nineteenth century that uses stencil templates and oil paints on watercolor paper.

An experienced artist, Beekman, aged 38, has worked in photography studios and art galleries from Maine to New York. In 1999, she started her own decorative painting business, Painted Turtle Creations. Following the events of 9.11, Beekman decided to combine her love of children with art. Currently she is a 7th grade teacher at the prestigious Waldorf School in Garden City where she supplements her classroom lessons with instruction in drawing, painting and sculptural arts.

A graduate of Bowdoin Col-lege in Brunswick, Maine and Central St. Martin's School of Art and Design in London, England, Beekman studied photography, painting and art history. In 2007, she received her Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Antioch University New England.

Beekman's works can be viewed at her website at www.paintedturtlecreations.com.

The Barnes Gallery is open from Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (516) 538-4503.