Bea Bea Art Studio: Neutral Shades of Bold

Most people know me best for being a bold interior designer who worships color. As you can imagine, I’m forever discovering vibrant art that really catches my eye. However, after stumbling across one artist’s work, I soon developed a highly unanticipated appreciation for art foreign to my modus operandi— neutral shades of bold.

When I read the definition of neutral (shades that lack color), it sounds pretty blah, but, quite frankly, I feel it undervalues the wide range of emotions browns, tans, grays, blacks and even whites are capable of stirring in one’s heart and mind. From the darkest of blacks to the brightest of whites, each has its own special powers- dramatic, mysterious, healing, peaceful, and positive, to name a few.

I have the lovely Beata Pekalska to thank for opening my mind to a whole new interior design world using neutral art while remaining loyal to my bold interior design style my clients have come to expect.

Bea is originally from Poland and currently resides in Dubai. We initially met through Instagram a couple of years ago. I recall commenting on a piece of her work. Her response was filled with such genuine warmth and gratitude, she immediately captured my soul. At that moment, I knew I had met someone very special, someone I needed to get to know better. And…that we have done through the channels of social media.

This is a Genre Blog interview that has been waiting far too long. Please join us for a personal interview.

MEET BEA !!

Bea, the talent and beauty behind Bea Bea Art Studio, Dubai.

So beautiful, inside and out.

A few years ago, Bea decided to leave a Manager position in corporate to start a career in Digital Illustration. At the time, she was creating illustrations for children’s books and apps, working with publishers world wide. Ever since she moved to Dubai, she became immersed in visual art, a shift in careers that, without question, really suits her.

Not surprising, many artists discover their passion for and their ability to create art early in their lives, and I often wonder what were their first experiences like: how old were they, what did they create, and did someone or something inspire them to create? 

Here’s what Bea told me …

Oh, I remember my very first experience with creating art at a young age. Believe me- it wasn’t as exciting as you might expect! 

I was four years old at the time, going to kindergarten. I remember the teacher asked all of the kids to paint a cat using black paint and our fingers instead of paint brush. Other kids created cute kittens with pointy ears and whiskers. My piece of art appeared a bit different. I remember it was a piece of paper almost completely covered with tangled black lines. My teacher was quite shocked and said I didn’t follow the rules, that what I have created is not a painting at all — just trash. Can you imagine her concerned face when I responded to her, that this is not a cat. This is bushy grass and the cat is hiding behind it as he’s hunting and doesn’t want to be seen. Obviously, she complained to my parents about my bad behavior.

After many years, this sour-sweet story made me realize how differently creative minds work, that doing something different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. What’s more, how important it is to encourage kids to create things the way they want to.

Of course, I had to know which artists inspire Bea and WHY?

Tamara Lempicka- She is my favorite!

She was a rebel and a rockstar in 30 of last century. Living her life without compromise, shocking her audience, and traveling the world. 

FYI- When I hear or see the word, “rebel”, you should know, I’m also all in!

More artists …

Alfons Mucha His masterful technique of showing beauty of woman’s body in a graphic way. 

Zofia Stryjeńska A real essence of a “crazy artist” truly dedicated to her art style and driven by passion.

Pablo Picasso Not only because of his magnificent collection of amazing artworks, but also for his understanding of marketing and PR in using his name for branding.  

After exploring most every piece of Bea’s art and watching her business evolve, I find it fascinating to see just how influential these few artists have been in her career. However, that singled-out teacher, who shall remain nameless, may still have a bit of a stronghold on Bea, since it appears she still LOVES incorporating black (and white) into her creations.

It’s the most beautiful form of payback I’ve even seen!

Bea is also passionate about creating artwork for clients with loads of texture, elegant gold leaf, and even timeless land and seascapes.

Truthfully, it was a seascape that sparked our first conversation. I remember giving Bea a “like” on Insta and commented that her work reminded me of my mother-in-law. My husband’s mother was not only inspired by the one and only, famous Arthur Maynard, she also received instruction from him and happened to win one of his gorgeous seascapes in a New Jersey lottery, which we proudly showcase in our home today.

The scope of Bea’s talent is rather diverse. I praise her willingness to try different things. She reminds me of myself!

I feel incredibly honored to share a personal glimpse into Bea’s life.

So, there are three of us- me, my husband, Lucas, and our daughter, Antonina. I met my husband in high school. I was the only girl who played RPG games and he was the only guy who was getting my sarcastic sense of humor. Consequently, we got along great, but there is no big romantic history behind it . Our story began in our twenties- when we met again after a couple of years after high school. This is when we realized we made a perfect, crazy, messed up match for each other…and we are still together traveling the world, going through life together, making mistakes, making plans, fighting, loving, raising a child, and adopting dogs.

As I continued to follow Bea on instagram, I couldn’t help noticing the abundance of photos and reels featuring another member of the family, an equally sweet blonde.

Bea reveals his name, Chester, and I quickly point out that’s also my grandfather’s name! He, too, was always a steady, constant companion by my side.

We adopted him a few months after moving to Dubai. He was in very bad health condition, but after a proper amount of patience and love he is living his best life now. He is very affectionate, guffy pal. I always laugh that he is a typical blonde- Not the smartest but very cute. He follows me everywhere, even to the toilet. He is always around when I’m painting- that’s why his fur is covered with paint as he refuses to go and lie down somewhere else. He is such a goooood boy!

I then went on to inquire about what it’s truly like being an artist living in Dubai. This was her response … 

I need to say that people in Dubai are VERY open to Art.

They appreciate it, they are open to new styles and techniques. All Dubai presents as a city of Design and Art. It’s very encouraging to live in such a place. There are many design events and art exhibitions where people are exposed to all different types of creativity. I think I’m the best example of how artists are appreciated here- I started my journey with art just two years ago, just as a hobby, and now I’m working with best interior designers in Dubai and sell my art pieces to private art collectors. 

You’ll likely agree that rising to the top so swiftly is far from the typical new artist story. I believe it’s a testament to Bea’s notably incredible talent.

When I asked Bea about her preference for creating small art vs. large art, she didn’t mince words one bit. She reinforces …

I totally agree with the belief that size matters!!

This is a fact!

Large-scale art demands attention, straight out of the gate. With its supersized ability, one thoughtfully hung piece is capable of transforming an, otherwise, blank canvas into an eye-catching focal point.

I’ll share a little of my own philosophy.

I like to refer to my favorite places to hang (my new love) large, neutral art as walk-bys and walk-intos. Some examples of walk-bys are entryways, down a blank hallway or up a colorless staircase. Perfect examples of walk-intos: just as you step into the room, you see an extra large piece of Bea’s art at the head of a long dining room table; a matching set of living room sofas (left and right) with a massive piece in the center; a library or reading area with a single chaise and reading lamp alongside another Bea Bea Art Studio one-of-a-kind creation.

Ultimately, you’ll be making a bold statement without even moving your lips — the mood you’re hoping to set will be there for the taking by whomever enters the space.

You get the idea, but did you know large art can make small spaces appear larger?

Bea says …

Big paintings bring a WOW effect to the interior- even into small spaces. I definitely prefer to create oversized paintings as they allow me to express myself much more than small pieces. They are a wonderful focal point of the room and a quiet conversation starter.

When diving into what really goes on behind the scenes, it’s clear that Bea is a very busy artist. I asked to her to describe a typical work week.

I imagined her finding it humorous when she wrote,

I’m afraid there is not such thing as an average work week, in my case.

First, check out Bea’s special feature on pages 18-19 in Betterliving magazine! She’s also been featured in Dubai’s Top 50 Homes , not to mention the numerous invitations to many prestigious art events and shows.

She elaborates …

My time is mostly driven by projects I’m working on at the moment. And each has a different specific. Some of them require meeting with clients and discussing details about the art collection we will be working on. Sometimes I need to go on site to meet with interior designers to see the space I’ll be creating art pieces for: taking measurements, organizing delivery, and installation, etc.

Sometimes I stay at my studio just painting for many hours, and when I do this, the time doesn’t exist for me.

Sometimes I have a conceptional work to do. For example, digital sketches and concepts of future artworks. There are also “office days” where I need to prepare quotation offers, invoices, order canvases, and schedule deliveries with the exception of typical art related stuff I need to take care of- dropping off and picking up my daughter from school, taking my dogs for a walk, getting groceries, running errands, cooking, and making sure to have enough time for meeting with my friends. 

Bea’s Instagram page is also bubbling over with photos from her travels. I wondered if there might be one destination, in particular, that holds a special place in her heart.  

I’m a TRAVELER — Since I remember, I have always loved traveling! So far I have visited many amazing places around the World. There are too many to mention all of them, but here are few that holding the special place in my heart: South Africa, New Zealand, California, Mauritius, Canary Islands, Aegean Sea Islands, Ibiza, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Bali And Polish Baltic Sea. I’m currently planning my next trip… as the World is calling me again. Each place I have visited is unique in its own way. I love to travel and admire the diversity of cultures and nature. It’s hard to compare one to another. If I were to pick a few destinations that are the most interesting for me, I would go with: New Zealand and it’s extremely beautiful nature; South Africa because it was our first place to live abroad; Thailand with its magnificent temples; Canary Islands and their laid- back style of life. 

I have to tell you this, though: my favorite place to see Bea is in photos she posts from Poland visiting her family. This is when the two of us talk about how Poland and Vermont embrace similar characteristics, the trees, the cool weather and such. From time-to-time it inspires her to paint nature scenes — I love this! I write to let her know that I feel, that this is where she appears to be happiest.

She explains how travel frequently serves as the powerful force behind her work.

Travel helps you to stay open-minded. They let you see the different ways of life, how other people live, how they work and create. What they find interesting, attractive, or simply valuable. The inspiration comes from everyday hustle, certain surroundings and ways of life, which are totally different than somewhere else. I like to take photos of home decor, elements of elevations, rocks in pathways — the things that normal people don’t find interesting, because I guess I like to use these patterns in my future artworks.

Bea and I realize everyone has high and lows with their business.

The best moment is always when people admire my (art) work…when I meet people I can resonate with and we work on a project together. It’s very nice when my clients are coming back to me or recommending me to their friends. They trust me and ask me to create a special pieces only for them.

The hardest thing in this business is to organize everything around it. As you said, it’s business —so, it requires planning, strategy, being active in social media, always being on your game with your current collection, and making sure your clients will recognize you. It’s 24h /7 days job! 

Personally, for me - the BEST part of being an artist is that you can be as eccentric as you want!

Do weird things, speak nonsense and people will be fine with it as they will go with, “you know she is an artist”. Sometimes there is no need for bold colors and quirky patterns to create an eye-catching space.

Again, I can definitely relate to this, so cheers to all the eccentric artists and interior designers everywhere, but especially CHEERS to you, Bea! Perhaps people are thinking and saying the same about me? For the record, I’m okay with that…LOL.

“I’ve turned my passion into my life… dreams come true when you follow your passion and work hard.”

Perhaps someday Bea will move closer to me. What I do know for sure is she will be successful wherever she lands. Psst…little secret here: we’re already thinking about a destination where we can finally meet up with each other in person. I’m sooooo much looking forward to that special day!

Until then, it is my hope that Bea and I will continue to share the ups and downs of being creatives — the doubts (the blacks), the celebrations (the whites), and everything in between (the neutral shades of bold life).

To learn more about Bea and her artwork make sure to visit her website and Instagram.

“I say, bea bea, you're amazing, I want to let you see. You are everything and more to me . . .”

With deep gratitude, love & friendship - Elizabeth

Amazing - Josh Kelley