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About Beverly HughesBeverly Hughes is the recent author and illustrator of her first book called Hidden Among the Petals, published by Xlibris, in early 2010. The book features over 40 botanical illustrations in colored pencil, pen and ink. The introduction of her book gives a brief inspirational account of her struggles in trying to survive as an artist in her marriage as much as flowers struggle against the natural elements and predators in their everyday life. In 2008, her first botanical cube titled Sunflowers was designed by Made in Museum, and early in the Spring of 2009, her second cube was released titled Botanicals. The second cube has a combination of roses, heliconias, daylilies, hibiscus and water lilies. Beverly describes the cube as a three dimensional kaleidoscope which folds and collapses to interchange the botanical images. Currently she is an art teacher in the Vineland School District in Vineland, New Jersey. Prior to that she taught in the Millville School District, Millville, New Jersey and at Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey. She has been a guest instructor at Barn Studio of Art in Millville, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Artist in-residence at the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and also did research and investigation of the Franklina alatlamaha at Bartram's Gardens in Philadelphia, along with other flowers. Beverly also illustrated a collection of rare magnolias' for her solo show at the Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania in September, 2001. Tragedy struck Beverly when she inadvertently left her portfolio on
a Route 29 Septa bus in Philadelphia on September 29, 1999. The entire collection
of original botanical illustrations for her first solo show at the Philadelphia
Community College was picked up by someone on the bus and was never returned.
The portfolio also included a burgundy leather notebook containing her entire
collection of 35mm slides of the work that totaled more than 300. It was four
years of documented research on different species of flowers and twenty years
of her life's work lost. Beverly also studied textiles and fashion design at Moore College in Philadelphia. After a semester of fashion design, she switched over to the textile department and loved it. Beverly is happily divorced and is a born again Christian. Her family consists of two adult children, Tiffany and Christopher, she has two grandchildren and two rescued dogs, Michael (a Shih Tzu) and Picasso (a Border Collie). Since 2004, the artist has been photographing the sheep at Burcham's Farm, located on the outer edges of Millville. When the twins, Janice and Jeanette Burcham, have shearing days, they give the fleece to Beverly from Duchess, Ginger, Tessie and Laurel, her favorite models. The fleece has to be picked, scoured, air dried, carded and spun. This takes a great deal of time. She also makes drop spindles which she uses to spin the wool as well as use when she teaches some of her students to spin yarn. After weaving on a 4- harness Macomber loom for many years, Beverly is investigating knitting, but only the basic knit and purl. Her plan is to spin enough white wool and dye it so she can create colorful yarns and knitted scarves to sell. The artist was commissioned by the Pennsylvania
Horticulturaul Society to design an official Beverly still loves tracking the blooming cycle of flowers in colored pencil, pen and ink. She will continue to illustrate historical, endangered, and rare species of flowers. Beverly is also one of the Pioneer Artists in
Millville's Glasstown Arts District. |