Artist of the Week: Bev Paulson

Bev Paulson
Bev Paulson knew she wanted to be an artist when she was three and first played with crayons. Fresh from high school she worked as secretary to the head of medical purchasing. She illustrated a purchasing manual and her boss saw her potential and encouraged her to go back to school. So she did. She attended Oregon Technical College majoring in Commercial Art. Guess who she met at school? Bill Paulson. Youth and hormones triumphed over career and she settled down to being a wife and mother of two. Art never goes away and Bev nourished her creative streak by writing and illustrating books for her children. She did work at Boeing for 2 years and the only fun there was drawing cartoons on the borders of the technical drawings. They’re probably in the archives still. She also worked 11 years as a framer, becoming an expert at selecting the appropriate frames for each item. She framed LOTS of needlework. Bev’s style is fresh and cheerful. Maybe you’ve seen her crows and homely scenes (or the image on the cover of this edition). Take a good look at her paintings and notice the attention to detail and the clean color and enjoy the humor. Through the years, Bev and Bill spent a lot of time refinishing and painting old rocking chairs and other furniture. They called their efforts “Functional Fakes.” Presently, Bill carves charming walking sticks with blackbirds on them. Bev really only restarted her artwork when moving to Camano Island in 2000. She started with the Roaming Artists in 2002. Her future plans might include more children’s books for her great grandchildren. – Marilyn Werner