– 2025 Palisades Fire-
On January 7th, 2025, everything changed for Beanie Kaman and her husband, who have lived in Pacific Palisades for over 10 years. On that morning, they had 2 hours to pack for what they thought would be only a night or two, to avoid the wildfire that had started. Their home, along with over a thousand other homes, was completely destroyed by the fire. It was a creative haven that not only housed all their memories and belongings, but was also Kaman’s studio and artwork storage. Kaman shares, “The artwork stored there was work done over my lifetime – over 50 years of artwork – paintings, textiles, paper pieces, and all supplies needed for making art…everything was burned, incinerated.”
What is next? Kaman is beginning to find some semblance of a new routine without any of the supplies, materials and comfort of having her own studio. “I have been doing pencil drawing while I have no studio, and have begun to accumulate fabrics, threads, and beads given by the kindness of strangers and friends who help to encourage me to start again.”
As an artist, Kaman is driven to create with her hands. She is currently working to create a body of work that will likely reflect this period of transience, displacement, and the overwhelming urge to once again create a sense of home. She has participated in several group shows this year at Out of The Ashes, Craig Krull Gallery and at Open Art Code:London, Gallery OXO.
If you are interested in commissioning a work, you can view her extensive portfolio and Kaman can work with you to make something in the same vein. Due to the variety of materials available, works will vary. Paintings can take several weeks to do, textiles as well – an average of 1 month each, but some can take longer, depending on their difficulty and resolution.
– Artist Statement –
Exposed to fine art from an early age, Kaman began painting and drawing to absorb the fundamentals, from impressionism to abstract expressionism. Her paintings are acrylic with dried pigments, pencil, and pastels on canvas. She approaches each painting with an improvisatory method, allowing iconic forms to appear on the canvas until they have spoken completely.
Kaman uses those forms as metaphors for the eternity of life to suggest the familiar in daily living. Flowers, cups, and markings are a part of the vocabulary that reference our collective being on earth. There is an emphasis on place, the passing of time, and the experiences of life that all inform the work.
In 2015, Beanie began to use sewing as another medium. She approached it in the same way as painting, as opposed to the long, traditional of art quilt making. This time, with Mark Rothko as an inspiration, she borrowed his color blocks as a format and began to play with fabrics, papers, and threads to present the iconic images that she has always used. With collage as a basis for each work, Kaman began to incorporate old clothes, old monoprints, maps, and other materials collected over the years. The pieces became almost biographical, often referencing her home, family, and places she traveled.
As time has progressed, the color blocks naturally disappeared, and Beanie found that the work took on a life of its own. The incredible patterns, colors, and textures from silks, heavy canvases, paper, and threads inspired her to create artwork that shows off their beauty.
Originally from Connecticut, Kaman lived in Santa Fe, NM, for 22 years and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She has devoted her life to art and music. Whether it is the green of the east coast, the high desert of the southwest, or the Pacific Ocean, she is profoundly influenced by the natural beauty of the earth and sky, our universe.
Click the PLAY button to learn more about Art With Textiles in the video below.