Beverly’s Country Garden Watercolors
Created by Louise Daley based on biographies of and conversations with Beverly Behrens
Beverly Behrens maintains a website countrygardenwatercolors.com which not only features galleries of her botanical artwork in watercolor, graphite, colored pencil or pen and ink, but also promotes sales of botanically inspired note cards, prints, and paperweights. Her subject matter ranges from florals and fungi, to fruits and vegetables to still life and wildlife, not to mention landscapes from Middlefork Savanna to Giverny, France.
Middlefork Savannah by Beverly Behrens
In addition to her artist skills, Beverly uses entrepreneurial abilities in marketing and production. She assembles the paperweights with materials purchased on-line from a South Dakota, supplier. (More on South Dakota later.) She prints the notecards in-house with stock purchased on-line or from stores in the area.
Garden Clubs of Illinois Annual Luncheon
Her botanical artwork also been used to illustrate several books. In 2011, two of her botanical drawings were chosen out of 85 entries by 38 artists to be included in Colorful Edibles, a Coloring Book of the Artwork of the American Society of Botanical Artists, Angell, B. and W. Hollender, eds. This was an activity book and teaching tool. The book explains the origins of fruits and vegetables and covers the topics of botany, history, agriculture, and nutrition.
In 2015, she illustrated Quilts and Country Gardens, Remembering a Simpler Time, stories by Marilyn Kratz. In 2021, Beverly illustrated Inspired by a Garden, poems by Marilyn Kratz. These books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in local shops.
Books: Colorful Edibles, Angell, B. and W. Hollender, eds Quiltis and Country Gardens and Inspired by a Garden, by Marilyn Kratz, Illustrated by Beverly Behrens
Beverly met Marilyn Kratz in their first year of college, each earning a one-year's teaching certificate. They have been fast friends since. Marilyn went on to earn her Master's degree and continued as a school teacher.... for more than 30 years, all the while pursuing her writing passion. Marilyn wrote several books and steadily contributed stories for “Highlights for Children" and other children's magazines. Marilyn finally collaborate with Beverly. They communicated via email and telephone for the two books, and her husband Ralph handled the graphic logistics regarding the paintings. There was a bonus - a trip to South Dakota to help Marilyn with promoting the books.
Beverly’s artistic interest began in a one-room rural school in southeastern South Dakota, where she was the only student in her grade level. There were usually around 15 students in the school, first to eighth grades. She often worked on art projects as her teacher was occupied with other students. She decorated covers of booklets for history class, geography, etc. And, for a couple of years, she created her own (secret) comic strip to fill the down time.
Beverly particularly enjoyed the school's ample variety of art materials which were free for the students to use at their own discretion. Friday afternoons were special — they had art. They worked at their respective grade levels on perspective, animal drawings, watercolors, illuminated letters, paper construction, soap carving, clay molding, etc.
Red-eared Slider Turtles, Middlefork Savanna, Lake County, IL
Beverly recalls the school wide artist endeavors. There was a cooperative effort each year for all grades. It was an assignment from the Country Superintendent, who announced the topic for study for the year — such as "U.S. Government" or "Soil Conservation." Those projects culminated in a book, or a large 3D presentation, or a collection of artwork, stories and poems to be judged at the county level. Another year-long project was the art portfolio required of 7th and 8th graders, which also became a county competition.
After all that inspiration, it is little wonder she studied art and received a B.F.A. from the University of South Dakota. The University chose her paintings for a solo show to inaugurate its Alumini Gallery, in 2006.
Nowadays, Beverly's art may be seen in a variety of venues. She not only participates the twice a year Reed-Turner Botanical Artists exhibits, but also in the Brushwood Mother Earth Markets and the annual International Bog Day fundraising auction sponsored by the Friends of Volo Bog. She was the featured artist in June at Antioch Fin Arts Foundation. Her work was included in Celebrating Nature in Watercolor for the Lakes Region Watercolor Group. These were only some of her dozen activities in 2024.
Lake Bluff Farmers Market
Her signature style has been utilized for the entrance sign of Lake Bluff, IL, as well as the village vehicle sticker and a streetlight banner in the central business district.
"Daisy" the dog, the Lake Bluff Park District Preschool Sponsor
In addition to her own website, visit Beverly Behrens members gallery on the ASBA website.