About Billups Fine Art/ BJ Billups Design
Bio of Artist:
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I will do custom work, be it for over your couch, or a mural for a stairwell, or conference room...nothing is too small or too large for me to work on!
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If you would like to see my original work, I will be at the f…ollowing two shows:<BR><BR><B> Charley Russell Weekend <BR>GREAT FALLS MONTANA<BR> March 15, 16, and 17.<BR> TOWNHOUSE INN, 10th Street, Room 128<BR><BR><BR> National Western Art Show & Auction<BR> May 18, 19, and 20.<BR> Kittitas Valley Event Center (fairgrounds) <BR> Ellensburg Washington.<BR><BR></B>
I will have over 40 originals oil paintings: Native American, landscape (plein air paintings) and my Women in White series, prints, a couple of smaller mural style creations, along with my gorgeous beaded items.<BR><BR>
Should you have a project, mural or other painting project you are interested in, please come and visit Billups at either of these two shows, this spring...<BR><BR>
Having studied illustration, I am very open to fulfilling whatever visual needs:including any size, or working with your colors, send me a swatch of "your couch fabric"....and I will create whatever it is you need, within my range of subjects and style!
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"Capturing the inner feeling, a moment so quickly passing, a moment that is beyond words, almost beyond thought.
the nuances that dance between a mountain and the sky that embraces her, creating a symphony that the eyes perceive,
but only the soul can remember.<BR><BR>
This celebration of light upon the physical and ethereal worlds, that creates a love affair, not only between these two worlds, but also for the viewer. It is this special moment in time that excites me, that drives me to even risk failure if I but have the chance to capture only a fraction of what I see, of what I feel, of what I know, from this wonderful experience we call life! In art, as music, there are rhythms, movements, flow and ebb..."<BR><BR>
“The power and sweep of this unique style of Betty Billups is comparable with the leading painters of our century and before. The strength of her painting strokes combine masterfully with her extraordinary command of the artist's color palette. Bold and yet thoughtful use of composition yields a freshness and depth to these works that is seldom seen in many of today's works of art. A dynamic and electrically charged must see exhibit combining a dazzling explosion of artistic energy and sparkling creativity.”<BR>
Tom Battles, referring to Clymer and Hockaday Museum.<BR><BR>
<B>EXHIBITIONS & ONE ARTISTS SHOWS</B><BR>
In the summer of 1977, Elizabeth Jean Billups (AKA Betty or Betty Jean) had her first one artist museum show at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Which was the direct results of doing research for a U.S. Army commission, to create a painting of Sacajawea. Which came about because the Army had seen a painting Billups had in the U.S. Air Force Art Collection. <BR>
The exhibit at the museum was titled "Inner Feelings" and was the sole reason Betty returned to a fine art career, with the heaviest amount of work being created "en plein air". Plein air painting is created on location, with all the elements: sun, wind, tides, and time, affecting that which is being depicted in a painting...thus forcing the artist to work quickly and observantly...in order to capture the essence of a scene, before, and even while, it changes!<BR><BR>
The trip into Idaho and Montana, brought her back years later, to live on a 200 + acre ranch, and eventually move into the mountains, on 10 acres in the wilderness. Being surrounded by nature at every view, doing plein air paintings became almost as easy as breathing!
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<B>SPECIAL NOTE:</B> in 1986, when Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) had their first showing, Billups offered to create their ad ad campaign, that promoted their annual shows on Catalina Island. With her 14 years of professional experience in the field of advertising/illustration, she set up 10 years of advertising in national magazines, from 1986 thru 1996, that included Southwest Art Magazine, Art of the West Magazine, Art West Magazine, American Art Review, Artists of the Rockies Magazine, Art Talk Publication, plus a few others.<BR><BR>
As a result of the creation of this original group, and this "ad campaign" the excitement of "plein air painting" has swept around the world, with literally thousands of plein air groups every where!!
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Since 1995, PAPA has attracted other nationally known artists such as: Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb, Gay Faulkenberry, Ken Auster, Christopher Blossom, John Cosby, Gil Dellinger, Don Demers, Kevin Macpherson, West Fraser, Joe Paquet, and Ray Roberts <BR><BR>
<B>MAJOR ART EVENTS</B><BR><BR>
From 1985 thru 1996, Billups had participated in the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) week of creating plein air creations on Catalina Island, and then exhibiting these paintings at the Casino Ballroom.
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1996 saw Billups as one of a dozen artists invited to work on the world renown Murals in Toppenish Washington. She was commissioned to create 17 windows depicting a turn of the century bordello, viewed in a second story historic brick building.
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In 2007 she was commissioned to create a 6x16 foot mural for Mount San Antonio College, in Southern California. The entire landscape of the mural was created "en plein air", the clouds were brought to life, using 15 different cloud studies. The foreground Eucalyptus trees were created from 3 weeks of photographic research. As a direct result of this Mt. SAC mural, she was offered a one artist exhibition, show casing over 150 original plein air and figurative creation at the campus gallery, in the fall of 2007.
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<B>INSTRUCTORS OF INFLUENCE</B><BR><BR>
One of her most beloved instructors from the prestigious Los Angeles Art Center College of Design, was Joseph Morgan Henninger. He and his beloved wife, Danica, became Betty's life time art and personal supporters and friends.
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Another instructor from LAACCD, was a very dear and caring artist-teacher, Reynold Brown, who did many of the old Movie Posters of renown, like Ben-Hur. Reynold greatly influenced Billups with his passion and concern for his students. Reynold and his beloved wife Mary Louise became greatly loved and cherished personal friends of the artist.
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She also studied with Don Putt Putman, who introduced her to the magnificent world of color! And his enthusiasm and passion for painting sparked the soul of adventure in her!
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Ten years after graduating from ACCD, she finally met Dan McCaw, whose work she had admired since the mid 70s. The years of study with Dan at his studio greatly enhanced her loose impressionistic style, years prior to it became popular. In the mid '70s, "A Day in the Country", a major museum exhibition was a major influence with American artists: to loosen up!!! Finally, her work became acceptable!
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<B>OTHER ARTISTS OF INFLUENCE:</B><BR>
Her main influences (taken from history) include the Spanish painter Sorolla, Corot, Monet, Monet, Turner, Corot, Van Gogh, as well as the early California Impressionists and colorists such as Franz Bischoff, Edgar Payne, Granville Redmond, and others, the Oakland Society of Six, the Canadian landscapists known as the Group of Seven.
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<B>AWARDS & PUBLICATIONS</B><BR>
Billups, the winner of Grand Purchase Awards and blue ribbons in national and international shows, has been featured in many art magazines throughout her career, including Southwest Art, U.S. Art, Art talk, Sun Storm Publications, Art West, InformArt, to name a few.
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<B>PUBLICATIONS</B><BR>
The year 2002 also found her work in a museum publication, coinciding with her one artist exhibition: Clymer Museum: 200 for 2000, a 24 page, full color catalogue of some of her plein air paintings, that were created in the year 2000. (retails for $20, on her web site...less than 60 copies left!)
<BR><BR>2004 ORANGES AND PEONIES was included in the publication: "How did you paint that? 100 ways to paint Flowers & Gardens".
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2004 RIVER REFLECTIONS was included in the publication:"How did you paint that? 100 ways to paint Seascapes, Rivers & Lakes"
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May 2004 her painting "I Am the Sunlight" received a 3rd Place Award in an International Competition.
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August 2005 was the unveiling of her first large (96 pages in full color) publication that is a part of a series, published by International Artist Publications. The title to her creation: 10 Projects in Impressionism En Plein Air. This has has been sold out since 2006, however Billups still has a few signed copies available from her web site.
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At this same time, she was offered a full hard bound edition of her work that was to include landscape, figuratives, floral, & drawings ...similar to the Dan McCaw book that International Art Publishers had created. However, the publisher did not want to pay her for writing the book, so it was cancelled.
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<B/JURYING</B><BR>
In the mid 90s she juied the prestigious California Art Clubs' Exhibit, with Neil Boyle and her beloved instructor, Joseph Henninger. Prior to that, she had juried many California exhibitions, giving awards to abstracts and sculptures, applying the same knowledge and principles needed in creating two dimensional as well as 3 dimensional art.
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<B>COLLECTIONS</B><BR>
Her work hangs in collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Israel, Africa, and Japan. Some of these collections also are the home of Picassos, Henry Sharps, and other leading artists of the U.S. Some of the public collections include: The Royal Palms Hotel of Phoenix AZ (4 of her plein air paintings); the United States Air Force; Alamita Corporation of Tucson AZ, Mount San Antonio College of Southern CA, to name a few. And many private collections.
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<B>CLIENTS</B><BR>
In addition to the Marriott Hotels, some of her clients include Bank of America, Fluor Corporation, Max Factor, Knotts Berry Farm, Genstar Mortgage and St. John's Hospital of Santa Monica, California.
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<B>EDUCATION</B><BR>
1969 EL CAMINO JUNIOR COLLEGE Torrance CA.<BR>
1972 THE LOS ANGELES ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN
graduated with honors<BR>
1982-85 PRIVATE STUDY WITH DAN MCCAW<BR>
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<B>MEMBERSHIPS</B><BR>
<B>SI LA SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS OF LOS ANGELES</B> ‘72-’76 VICE PRESIDENT OF SILA 1972-73
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<B>PAPA PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF AMERICA (PAPA)</B>
<BR>1986 to the present
1986-1996 PAPA ADVERTISING CHAIRMAN
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<B>WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE AMERICAN WEST</B><BR>
ADVERTISING CHAIRMAN 1979 to 1983<BR><BR>
<B>AMERICAN ACADEMY OF WOMEN ARTISTS</B><BR> 1996 to 2001
<B>THE CALIFORNIA ART CLUB </B>1996<BR><BR>
<B>TEACHING</B><BR>
Because nothing ever came easy to her, not even her art (which is obvious by such ignorant questions, such as "What color makes flesh?" that she presented to her art teachers in the "early days"). There is a difference between being IGNORANT and being STUPID: IGNORANT is what almost every body is...in anything but their field of expertise! STUPID, is having knowledge, and not applying it!!
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Billups firmly believes that what most people label "talent," is really DESIRE, or BURN, or DREAMS, or VISION, or GOAL SETTING or PASSION or WHATEVER you would like to call "IT"...PLUS a lot of work and continuous effort toward the end of recognition and accomplishment... but NOT in THAT order!!!
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No one is just born to it, but this "talent" develops with hard work, focus, desire, time, passion, belief in oneself...did I mention HARD WORK?
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She believes the words TALENT and LUCK are used too often in the wrong context. And when they are used in referring to a person's goals and life time achievements, or just writing off these to AGING and TIME (alone) causing them to happen...what robbery! What a sadness, that these people thought it was "happenstance" that brought about the results.
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<B>LUCK IS WHERE PREPAREDNESS & OPPORTUNITY MEET!!</B>
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And that is why Betty has a tremendous burn to share the knowledge she gleaned over the past 36 + years with anyone who truly desires to be able to express themselves. Because without her instructors: Arnold Simone, Sister Francis Margaret, Fr. Frank Torres, Reynold Brown, Joseph Henninger, Richard Huebner, Lorser Feitleson, Midge Quinnel, Don Green, Rod de la Cruz, Charley Susuki, Andy Fagan, Mildred Walker, Bluske, Polifca and her husband Flury, Mr. Ted Youngkin, Harry Carmean, Glenn Villpu, Don "Putt" Putman, Ted Lukats, Hal Kramer, William F. Reese, Dan McCaw, Sergei Bongart...and all the others who took time from their careers, to physically share their knowledge (not to mention ALL artists, living and dead, in written publications) who have influenced most living artists today. Without all of them, we would still be doing cave paintings!! (Or we would be VERY OLD, gathering all this info, on our own!)<BR><BR>
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Figure in the Landscape
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