Three Trees, Two Clouds

Three Trees, Two Clouds was inspired by the natural scenery along the Haw River in Alamance County, North Carolina. The Haw River is a tributary, or a stream that flows into, the Cape Fear River. It begins in the northern part of the state and travels south for approximately 110 miles. In this painting the artist has done more than depict a Haw River landscape. He has created a dreamlike, symmetrical scene in which two matching clouds hover between a trio of tall trees. The colors and textures of the earth and the sky seem to blend together. 

John Beerman’s paintings depict surreal yet lifelike nature scenes. Beerman is a North Carolina native who grew up in Greensboro. He is known for creating landscape paintings of different areas of North and South Carolina, the Hudson River in New York, ranches in Texas, and hillsides in Tuscany, Italy. 

Beerman began his artistic journey at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in New York and continued his education at the Rhode Island School of Design. The American Luminists (an offshoot of the mid 19th-century Hudson River School of artists) were an early influence on Beerman’s work. They focused on the effects of light and creating a sense of tranquility in their landscape paintings.

Beerman’s unique painting style incorporates light brushstrokes and a limited color palette. He says he finds inspiration in the calmness of nature and what he can add to nature scenes by using his imagination. His landscape paintings depict different seasons, types of weather, and effects of sunlight.

I’ve become more interested in . . . not about seeing new landscapes, but in seeing landscapes through new eyes.

John Beerman

tags: light, weather, rural, seasons