We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beverly Marshall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Beverly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Purpose… such a funny word. Sometimes you know exactly what your purpose is, and then you lose it along the way, only to find it yet again years later. When I was a kid I always wanted to be an artist. Since the age of 9 that is exactly what I wanted to be. It is funny how something like sibling rivalry can spur on a dream that one day becomes a lifetime passion. So for this article I decided to be a bit bold and to share a few things about this journey that most do not know unless you’re a good friend or family. I hope this inspires others to chase dreams, and go after the things they are passionate about despite their circumstances. This is my story of resilience, work ethic and finding my passion… my purpose… This is a bit of the story of me…
Family dynamics when I was young were difficult. My parents separated when I was 9 years old. My father was an abusive alcoholic. Their marriage ended during an argument, when in a drunken rage he grabbed his shotgun from between his legs, as he stepped out of the parked car we were in, and aimed the gun at my mother in the driver’s seat. My mother hit the gas and threw the car into reverse. As the car sped backwards, the open car door slammed against him and he fell to the cement driveway. He began firing from a seated position from the ground as we sped off, with me terrified screaming hysterically from the back seat. Within a few days from that experience, my mother packed up all 4 of us kids and moved to Tennessee and that is where this bold art journey begins. There was not much money, so art supplies were out of the question, but there was always a pencil and some paper about.
My older brother George and I were always rivals. He was 2 years older than me and usually a bit better at things. One day we were drawing together and he began to tease me about my drawing. 9 year old me decided that one day I would be that better artist. That day came quickly. It lit a passion in me to draw that could not be stopped. I drew whenever I could. Within months I could out draw him and I did every chance I got. Soon it took on a life of its own. Competing with him no longer mattered. Drawing became my passion.
My Grandmother (Ethel Haney) took notice. She kept a steady supply of pencils, crayons and paper around for me. Her kitchen table was my art studio. She was such an encouraging force and my sanctuary. . She was the first one to really believe in 9 year old me and the first to frame one of my pencil and crayon drawings. The frame she used was $1.39 from Roses, but the value it gave to me was priceless to see it hanging on her wall. I got this drawing back last year from my cousin Tabby, years after my grandmother’s passing, with the little red price sticker from Roses still on the back. I thought it was lost forever.
Entering my freshman year of high school my family moved to Boca Raton Florida where I enrolled into the local high school. My freshman year there was a difficult one. The school was massively overcrowded and on split sessions. This was an affluent area and here I was a poor kid from Tennessee with a thick accent. There were times that I got spit on from the 2nd story of the 1100 building when walking by. There were times when I was called “redneck” the older kids with cars would pull up next to me and squirt me with their window cleaning fluid. All of that changed very quickly when I enrolled into Mrs. Osbourne’s art classes and joined the basketball team. In these areas I excelled. Mrs. Osbourne was a fantastic teacher. She had a way of bringing out the artistic talent of her students. She would always tell us to draw what you see, not what you think you see. I still hear her words in my head to this day. Everything changed by the end of that first year. The other students’ perceptions changed and I began to make friends.
When I started my own family after high school, the drawing stopped. I had kids, a husband and a thriving family business that needed all of my attention. Four growing kids would be challenging for anyone, but my oldest, Josh, was cognitively disabled and needed so much more. Drawing could wait. I did not pick up a pencil again for years.
In 2012, the family business began to wane and so did my marriage. My kids were teens and young adults by then. There was time again to draw. So once again I found a pencil in my hand and began to draw. My kids, my friends, my family cheered me on. They challenged me to reach higher, to do this professionally and so I did. I sold my first drawings on Ebay and quickly gained a following. I soon began approaching Galleries and competing with my art. So as my marriage came apart at the seams, my art was building my future. Today I stand before you as an international award winning artist. It took a lot to get me here. It took a village. It took resilience, belief in myself and lots of hard work. But I found my passion, my purpose, that pencil in my hand.
Sometimes life is not easy. Sometimes people come into this world miles away from the starting line with lots of obstacles in the way when the race begins. Sometimes you have to grab the hand you’re dealt and make the best of it and cherish the acceptance, the love, the friendships and the cheering. Then gather up all the negativity and bad that has happened and burn it as fuel to get you where you need to be. That inner strength, resilience, tenacity embrace it and never let this world take you down or rob you of your talent, determination, drive, kindness, compassion, or love for others for this is absolute strength.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
For much of the past year, I stepped back from exhibing and competing. I needed to focus on my mental health and wanted to focus on developing my sculpting skills as well. In 2018 I lost my son Joshua Marshall in a drowning accident. He had a cognitive disability and could not speak. He was a wanderer. In the middle of night while staying with his father, he woke up and left the house. He wandered around for several hours and found his way to a 7-11 gas station. He needed help but could not ask for it because of his disability. People saw him, and mistook his gait, his crying and being non-verbal as being intoxicated. So no one helped. Across from the 7-11 was a fire station with a pond. He walked across and into the pond. He drowned that night. This is how Florida’s Purple Alert began. Florida State Senator Lori Berman and Florida State House of Representatives Joe Casello presented the bill to the Florida Congress. My friend Amanda brought them the idea. It took 3 years but it finally was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on July 1, 2021 and went active on July 1, 2022. It was a hard fought battle to get it through. All the focus on my son’s demise, all the emails and contacting every single Congressperson in every committee the bill went to had been exhausting. They needed to know his story and why this Purple Alert was needed. It took a huge toll on my mental health. But it is now law and saving lives every day.
After some much needed downtime, I am emerging stronger and with some new art to share. I will be competing internationally and exhibiting again soon. For those of you who don’t know me, I am an international award winning artist. I am most known for my emotional pencil drawings. My experiences in life have molded me and shaped me into being a very empathic artist and sensing others emotions with the ability to see what is just beneath the surface. That emotional aspect of people is what I like to capture in my work. I had originally begun with pencil drawings but have recently begun to focus a bit more on sculpting as well. Sculpting is an emerging talent.
Much of my work is intuitively done. I am self taught and listen closely to my inner voice about technique or how to create a certain effect. Pencils will alway be my first love, but sculpting is lighting a fire in me as well.
My first sculpture was made of gypsum plaster and recycled materials. It took about a year and a half to create. It is of a male dancer leaping through the air with a gold wrap around flowing behind him as he does so. I love the look of the black and gold together. They just highlight each other. I love the elegance and flow of how this one came out.
I have also tried my hand at clay sculpting which I absolutely love! With clay, the process is so quick. I love the feel of the cold clay on my hands. I don’t use many tools much of the time. I tend to use my fingers and hands to shape what is needed. My first completed clay sculpture is called “Let it Rain Down”. It is a bust of a black man with rain water pouring over his face. It came fast and furious and was sculpted in about 12 hours. When I hit the zone of creativity, it just comes so quickly. I find myself just knowing what to do and how to do it. That knowledge is just there popping into my head as I work. I am not big on using tools but I will use what is around me when needed. After this first clay sculpture, I did go ahead and buy some simple sculpting tools from Amazon.
My sculptures, much like my drawings, are based on the emotional aspect of people. When you see my work, whether it’s a drawing or a sculpture, I want you to feel it. I want you to understand what I am shooting for without ever having an explanation. I do believe much of my artwork accomplishes just that.
Pencil drawings will always be my first love. I love the feel of a sideways held pencil in my hand as the lead glides across the paper. I love the lights and darks and the capability of the lead to reveal the emotions on the paper.
I am pretty much a self taught artist other than the priceless instruction I received from Mrs. Osbourne’s high school art classes and Grandma’s kitchen table so many years ago..I am a dream chaser and a passionate individual. I know much of my story that I have shared with you today, is not your everyday story. I have revealed some things here that I thought I would never share publicly. But isn’t that the key to our humanity? To shine a light on the struggle, the pain, the loss, and then one day to triumph despite it all? To reach back to the person behind us and share some words so that they know they are not alone, that others walk difficult paths as well. Its ok to take some down time when you need it and dont be afraid to reach for the stars.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being great at what you do and making sure that every piece of art that you create has your name attached to it. Art is important but so is the artist who created it. Too many times I have seen an artist’s work but no name of who created the piece. This is the biggest mistake I see at times. The work then just gets lost in the sea of other artists out there. To build your artist brand, your name needs to be recognizable with every piece you show, no matter where you’re showing. That includes social media as well.
Take the time to write your artist biography, an artist statement, and learn how to do a press release. An artist bio should be a one page document about you and how you became an artist. Then take the time to write an artist statement. An artist statement is just about the work you create, the techniques you use, and what inspires it. Press releases are critical. Any time you do a showing or have some news to share, this is a great way to drum up some free publicity. You see, being a successful artist is more than just being talented. It is also about getting your name out there, along with the art, and sharing your good news with the community. These three things will help when stepping into the professional art world.
Listen to yourself first and foremost. Your art is your voice. Sometimes I see artists asking for critiques and there are times when someone else will just verbally tear apart a beautiful piece of art just because they are either jealous of the creation, or just don’t agree with its message. Don’t let anyone alter or steal the message you’re conveying in the art you create. Art is an extension of who you are. Every piece an artist makes contains a piece of themselves. Silence your voice for no one. The world needs the art and the message you create.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My Grandmother has been the most helpful in my life in so many areas. She was the first one to recognise my capabilities and talent when I was young. She provided me a space to draw and all the pencils and paper a kid could ask for. She was an inspiring woman. Someone who I greatly looked up to. When times would get hard, she would say to me “Stand up straight girl. Shoulders back and hold your head up high. Remember who you are!” I still hear her words in my head to this very day. The things I learned from her have lasted me a lifetime. She is who I got this “never give up” spirit from.
She supported me in so many different ways. If I wanted to try crocheting, she handed me the needle and some yarn. When I wanted to be an archaeologist, she handed me an old coffee can and a spade and sent me across the street to dig up fossils from the red clay dirt. When I wanted to try my hand at gardening she gave me a shovel and some seeds and showed me how to plant and care for them. She always encouraged me to discover more about myself. She is the reason why, even now I keep exploring my talent and discovering other areas where I am artistically gifted, like with sculpting. Those things I learned at her home are the things that get me through life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beverly-marshall.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarshallartist67
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bevythe1st/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bevythefirst
