Beki Tobiasson, a new resident of Spanish Fork but longtime resident of Utah, recently received an Award of Merit in the Spring 2020 Alliance of Covenant Artists “Faithful Saints” Exhibition.
Her piece “Blessings,” an oil and gold leaf work on aluminum panel, received the Award of Merit. Two additional paintings, “All Things Bow in Humble Reverence,” and “Finding Beauty in Life’s Storm,” received Honorable Mentions in the same exhibit. Tobiasson also took home a first prize ribbon from the Utah County Art Board for “Finding Beauty in Life’s Storm.”
Born in Provo to an artistic family, Tobiasson is ninth out of 10 children. She spent much of her childhood years moving with her family to various places across the West before moving back to Utah during high school. Growing up with an artistic mother and older siblings was both inspiring and intimidating.
“I always felt like I could never become an artist because my family was so great,” she said.
Thankfully, Tobiasson’s mother convinced her that her notions were unfounded. With her mother’s guidance, Tobiasson learned to “see like an artist” early on. She took art classes through high school and two years of college, but put her passion on hold when she got married and started a family.
Raising eight children left little time for art, she stated with a chuckle, but her dream of becoming an artist was always in the back of her mind.
When asked what revived her passion to pursue art two years ago, Tobiasson responded with a small smile, “I missed being me. I realized that creating calmed my soul, gave me a healthy outlet and helped me face the rest of my day.”
So, when Howard Lyon, who was Tobiasson’s best friend back in ninth grade, asked her to attend his weekly live-drawing painting nights two years ago, Tobiasson jumped at the chance.
She soon discovered that her skills were rusty, and she described the weekly painting nights as “absolute torture.”
Seeing how the beautiful ideas in her mind translated so clumsily to the canvas was discouraging. But she kept going. When asked how she managed to persevere, even when her hands wouldn’t recreate what her eyes could see, she said “I was determined to have one painting that was good enough for me. I knew I could paint better than I was doing, so I went every week and tortured myself.” The refined talent she now possesses was born from the agony and travails of those highly rewarding weekly studies.
From her vibrant and texture-rich encaustic pieces, to her moody storm-themed oil paintings, every piece Tobiasson creates conveys a message to those who view it. When describing the meaning behind her artwork, Tobiasson’s eyes softened and she said “I want to express my belief that the difficult things we go through in life can always have beautiful outcomes.”
Tobiasson believes that everyone has an innate need to create, and that the very act of creation is healing and soothing to the soul. She also firmly believes that anyone can learn how to create art.
To illustrate this assertion, Tobiasson deliberately posted her early artwork on social media. She said she did it “so that people can see that you can progress and advance and change.” Tobiasson’s artwork is available on her website www.bekitobiassonartist.com. (Peterson is a Serve Daily contributor.)
