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Artist finds niche as instructor of painting, pastels
When Bea Kuhlke moved to Aiken as a newlywed two years ago, she threw
herself into her marriage and into decorating her new home.
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Bea Kuhlke works on a pastel at her home studio. Ms. Kuhlke has taught at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art since 1976.
Betsy Gilliland/Special
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Before long, she realized something was missing - her painting.
"The painting, I found, is just something I simply need to do," said Ms. Kuhlke, who took her first art lessons as a child.
When she is not painting, she said, "I'm not happy. I'm not
contributing to the universe. It's just the way I get along in the
world."
She converted a dingy backyard workshop into an art studio, adding windows, skylights and white paneling.
"It ain't much," she said with a laugh. "But compared to what it was, it's the Taj Mahal."
The artist, who works with acrylics and pastels, also is generous with
her skills. She has taught art classes at the Gertrude Herbert
Institute of Art since 1976 and teaches students at her home studio.
Her classes include instruction in pastels, oil painting, watercolor
and acrylics.
"I like teaching. It's just like keeping the waters fresh ... It keeps me listening to what I'm doing," she said.
She said she shares all of her art secrets with her students.
"Seeing things in a different way - that's what it's all about," said
Ms. Kuhlke, a small, vibrant woman who shifts around large easels and
oversized canvases with ease.
She once had planned on pursuing a different kind of teaching career.
After graduating from Georgia Southern College in 1964, she landed an
elementary school teaching job in Florida. A trip to Florence, Italy,
that summer to see her sister, however, changed her career path.
At her sister's urging, she canceled her teaching contract and stayed
in Florence for 2 years. She started studying painting in Italy, she
said.
"That really gave me my whole basis for what I've done since," Ms. Kuhlke said.
When she returned to her Augusta home, she studied under the late
Freeman Schoolcraft, a Chicago painter and sculptor who taught at
Augusta College. She also studied under Marjorie Dean Andruk, her
predecessor at Gertrude Herbert.
Ms. Kuhlke, whose paintings feature vivid colors, said she always has a
mental image and an idea of the colors she wants to use before she
confronts a blank canvas.
"I don't draw. I just start with the paintbrush. I just start putting
down paint," Ms. Kuhlke said. "I start with intense bright paint so I
can paint on top of it."
She is preparing for an April 1 show at the Carolina Cup.
Her work is available at Art on Broad in Augusta.
By Betsy Gilliland
Correspondent (aikenonline.com) web posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005
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