Mary Todd Beam

AWS, NWS

        Mary Beam, painter, popular workshop instructor, juror, lecturer is an elected member of the American Watercolor society, where she became a Dolphin Fellow and won their Gold Medal of Honor in 1996; National Watercolor Society, Ohio Watercolor and many others.  She has been the juror for state, local and national exhibits; such as the National Watercolor Society's Annual and the Rocky Mountain Annual Exhibit.  Her work has been chosen for inclusion in several major exhibits including the National Academy of Design's Biennial in New York city.  She has won awards from many major exhibits including the Gold Medal from the American Watercolor Society, the Ralph Fabri Medal, the Ohio Watercolor Society's Silver and Bronze medals, the Lone Star award, Top Juror's Award in the San Diego Watercolor Society's Annual Exhibit.  She has won the Experimental Award in the National Watercolor Society's Annual in Los Angeles 

        Several books on painting include her paintings and written text.  Notable among these are Maxine Masterfield's Painting the Spirit of Nature, Nita Leland's The Creative Artist, Michael Ward's The New Spirit of Painting and Greg Albert's Splash.  She was also a featured artist in American Artist's Watercolor'90".  Also Marilyn Phillis' recent book, Techniques for Releasing the Creative Spirit.  She is listed in Who's Who in American Art and the World's Who's Who of Women.  Her work appears in collections both in the U.S. and Abroad. 

        As wife, mother, painter and teacher she maintains two studios, one in Ohio and other in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  She spends most of her time exploring nature as the basis of her interpretive painting and cherishing the hours she shares with the surrounding mountains, streams and forest.  Husband Don, since retiring, accompanies Mary on many of the workshops.  He expresses his artistic talent by working with found objects.