Dee Beard Dean
DEE BEARD DEAN is a nationally recognized artist who has been painting all of her life. She was raised in the countryside of northern Indiana and began her formal studies at Grand Rapids College, Kendall College of Art and Design, and the New York Academy of Art. For many years, Dee lived and painted in the Florida Keys where she passed the gift of painting to her two children, both of whom are now successful artists.
In her early years, Dee was also a well-known fashion designer manufacturing her own clothing line with a national label which sold to over 450 stores throughout the US. Dee later escaped the hectic lifestyle of the fashion world and went back to her first love, painting.
She is a passionate and prolific artist who has studied with many renowned artists and is recognized for her painterly landscapes and portraits. Her greatest inspirations have come from painting en plein air (or on location) where her eye for color and composition, and her elevated senses, guide her in creating paintings filled with evocative light and dramatic shadows. Her highly collectible work hangs in corporate and private collections throughout the United States.
Dee is a member and founder of Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE), a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, a Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists, an Honorary Signature Member of International Plein Air Painters (IPAP), the NY Salmagundi Club, and member of Oil Painters of America. Dee finds it both a joy and a privilege to share her knowledge and talent with students through plein air and studio workshops across the United States and abroad.
She is also well known for her portraits and has done many noteworthy commissions. She has received numerous awards at juried art competitions and has served as Awards Judge for many national art events. Dee has also been published in many regional and national journals. She resides in Hilton Head, South Carolina with her husband, Dr. Nicolai Chalfa. Her life and her work are recorded in her book “Painter by Providence,” written by Michelle Morton.
Examples of My Work:
