Beckie Mirsch Laughlin

About the Artist

Born in Baltimore, Beckie Laughlin is an award-winning artist now living in Frederick County, Maryland.  She has a B.A. in Art and a M.F.A. in Painting from American University in Washington, DC.  For the past 50 years, Ms. Laughlin has shown and sold her work extensively in group and one-person shows throughout the DMV, and in New York City and Chicago. Beckie is represented by the Jo Fleming Contemporary Art gallery is Annapolis, MD.  Her artwork is included in many private and corporate collections including the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. Laughlin was an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Contemporary Art and Theater at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia for several years. She now teaches Spontaneous Painting in her New Market, Maryland studio.   

Artist's Statement

My colorful and energetic abstract paintings are inspired by my memories of the natural world - memories I only am aware of after the painting is completed. I begin a painting without knowing where the destination will be; relying on my intuition to guide me in making color and design choices. I apply acrylic paint quickly in a variety of ways: using large brushes and scrapers, my fingers, flinging it, even squeezing it directly from the tube. Resulting images from the natural world are suggested: budding flowers, birds in flight, water currents, tangled tree branches, partial figures. Furthermore, I utilize color, value, texture and line to guide the viewer’s eye on a ride through the painting - an opportunity to experience the often-unidentifiable emotional expression of the painting.