Beverly Marshall

Artist Statement
There are a lot of things that inspire me. I love to sculpt and I love to draw people, places, things that I find something deep in. I like to capture the human form. I like to capture a moment and put it on paper.  The thing I love most about drawing is the emotions. I love when I see something stirring in someone’s eyes and face, what is just beneath the surface, and am able capture it with my pencil.  Thru my work I want to show you a story. I want you to feel, with every pencil stroke, the very emotion that I am shooting for. I want it to leap from the paper and grip your heart. I want you to feel it...

What’s your background? 

I am a self-taught, internationally award-winning artist. I have been doing my art professionally since 2012. I am best known for my emotional pencil drawings that run the gamut of the human experience. To tell you a little bit about myself, I love to draw.  I have a passion for people. I love capturing the emotional aspect of the human condition.  Much of my latest artwork has been highly emotionally charged and deals with tough subjects.  For me art is meant to draw one in, to make one uncomfortable, to challenge the way that one may think. It's meant to grip you, one way or another. Either love it or hate it, either way the artwork wins, doing its intended purpose. Much of my work provokes an emotional response. It's the kind of work that can make one soar or bring one to their knees. Emotions. I want you to feel every bit of what I am reaching for.  I am an artist of the emotional condition.  

What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?  

The winners of this award are some of the most innovative and influential artists of our time and I am taken back a bit to have won The Collectors Art Prize. This Prize represents exceptional and the most thought-provoking artwork of our time. with artists and their work that deals with tough social and significant cultural issues and to think that I have been considered for such a prize is a great honor. I am thankful to have been considered and chosen to receive it.  

What do you think is the role of art in the world today? 

Art has many roles to play in the world today. For me specifically, I tend to focus on people, emotions and social issues. I like to tell stories with my artwork that tends to hit the core of the human soul. Much of my artwork is highly emotionally charged. Sometimes words are not as effective as artwork is in speaking. I find I can say so much more with my drawing than I could ever say in words. It is a way for me to say everything without uttering a single word and to me that is extremely powerful. My art tends to draw people in. It tends to entice the viewer to take a deeper dive into my drawings. Much of my work is thought provoking as well as having that emotional aspect that rings with many. I have the ability to look below the surface of the people I interact with daily, and that emotional aspect that is just under the surface is what I like to capture with my drawings. The voice that my artwork has speaks for itself and for me, that is the role of my art in today’s world.  

What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?  

I don’t think I have ever really thought about this before. So, off the top of my head, I would have to say that I think there is a place for all artists and their voices in this world. I know sometimes there is high competition in our field. Sometimes there is a lot of judgement that can occur between artists. If I could change one thing, it would be to make the art world a more accepting place for all the artistic voices out there.  

What are your most significant professional achievements? 

There are many so I will just name a few. Some of the most significant are the international awards that I have won in juried art exhibits. They range for taking 2 international merit awards for my drawing “Pandemic: Behind the Mask” in two separate international juried exhibits, 4 international special recognition awards for drawing that include  “Adiction” and “A New Sheriff in Town” to taking international honorable mentions for my drawings “At the Heart of Our Sorrows,” “Little Sara” and “A Mother’s Love” just to name a few. These awards were all given in international juried exhibits. The Collectors Art Prize will also be added to this impressive list of achievements as well.  

But I would also like to include in these professional achievements the drawing classes I have taught. I love getting a new student who is unsure if they will be able to draw, then 5 weeks later, they walk away from the class drawing like they never thought they could. I consider this one of my significant achievements as well. Pencil drawing seems to be a dying art these days so passing on the love of drawing to others and sparking that passion for art is a major achievement as well. 

What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?  

When you see my work, I want you to feel. I want it to hit a chord in you and then I want you to think about what you have seen. Much of my work comes from the heart and for my love of people. There can be much suffering in this world and much of it is unnecessary. Some of my art puts a spotlight on that suffering, like my drawing “American Made” that deals with the things our young people grow up here in the US which including school shooting, to drawings like “Addiction” that deals with the epidemic of drug use in our country, to my drawing titled “Storm” that deals with trying times and dealing with them on a lonely road with no support. So what I hope to achieve with my work is to inspire thought and change on a personal level one viewer at a time.  

What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists? 

The best advice I could give is this. Listen to what others have to say and then listen to me. You can be anything you want to be. People will tell you how you can’t and how you shouldn’t and how hard it is to be an artist. But let me tell you this, you can choose a job that will pay your rent and help you exist, but you can also choose your dreams that will make you a LIFE. There is nothing like chasing dreams! Do those things that light your fire, that bring passion to your life because that is where living begins. Things like being an artist will fill your soul so much more than just merely making a living to pay the rent. These things that light your fire, that you are passionate about, chase them, go for them because that is where an adventurous meaningful life begins. For me it is the arts, if it is different for you, that is ok too. But if the arts are your passion, go for it. You will hear no’s but you will also hear yes’s as well. Those yes’s are to live for. So I will share with you my favorite quote from Shel Silverstein ``Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”  

In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years? 

I want to continue to grow as an artist. There is so much about my talent that I am still discovering. I want to continue to share my artwork with the world. I want to exhibit in more major cities. I want to exhibit in more art museums than I already have. I want to show more in the United States as well as internationally.  It is something that I have dreamed about since I was a 9-year-old kid. Every day that I am on this earth puts me one step closer to becoming world renowned and every day I step closer to that achievement, and it steps closer to me as well. I have this given talent for a reason, and I love sharing it with the world.  

Country United States

Website https://beverly-marshall.com