After decades of being known for quiet, luminous landscapes, Hillsborough painter John Beerman has entered a new era, one driven less by observation than by memory. The large-scale works now filling Craven Allen Gallery in Durham, on view through January 17, mark a decisive shift for an artist whose career has long been associated with a contemplative calm.
For much of his career, Beerman’s practice was rooted in direct engagement with place. He painted outdoors across the United States and abroad, translating field sketches into studio canvases that explored light, weather, and landscape. That work earned him national recognition, including exhibitions at major museums, placement in prominent public and private collections, and a reputation as one of North Carolina’s most respected painters.
But after years of working that way, the process stopped feeling generative…