The point of view in the art seems up-close, colorful and playfully fluid—much like the artist himself.
Local artist Bobby Besherse possesses a very technical background. Currently, he works at Liberty Hospital in the cardiology department as a picture archiving and communications system administrator. He studied theater in college, then later served in the Army. After, he worked as a biomedical engineer. He said that technical background sometimes hinders his art.
“I would like to be more free when creating, but there is always something telling me that a single swipe of the brush can’t be a cloud,” Besherse said.
Still, he’s always been drawn to art. He said he wasted his 30s playing video games. But he began to draw portraits of the three children he shared with his wife Tessa, and his art, he said, just grew from there. Lately, he’s been concentrating on figure drawing, mostly with watercolor. He said some turn out great, and others … not so much. Still, it’s all practice, so he enjoys it, he said.
Fellow artist Jennifer Hutton, whom Besherse mentioned as someone who influences his own art, said she praised Besherse’s figure paintings.
Besherse lists his “Portrait of Willy Wonka” as one of his favorite works. The piece is oil on canvas board.
“Bobby has an incredibly creative and natural eye for drama in his work, especially in his figure paintings,” Hutton said. “He captures the fluidity of a pose while still keeping the body is realistic form and proportions.”
Besherse also explores all different mediums, Hutto said, which means he never gets stuck in one form of art. She said because of this ability to take himself out of his comfort zone and try new things regularly, Besherse grows his art with every step.
Hutton and Besherse work together regularly, at the newly opened Main Spring Arts Gallery and Studios. Besherse said he’s really lucky to be part of Main Spring, where he sits on the board and acts as treasurer. He said he looks at all the artists involved as owners who try to steer the ship in the right direction.
For Besherse, art functions in two ways, both in creating it, and owning it. For Besherse, creating art acts as a release. Painting allows him to sit down and concentrate on something productive, he said, although the experience itself can range from relaxing to nerve-wracking. Owning art can be an individual experience, mean to incite a response, a feeling, whether positive or negative, and it’s different for everyone, Besherse said.
Besherse gets inspiration from his wife, whom he described as “wonderful and supportive,” as well as his children. He also relies on what he describes as his art family, which includes Kat McKown, Iva Lemmon and Hutton, whom he called incredible artists. He said he’s created more art since meeting them than he has in the past decade.
“I love creating something others appreciate,” Besherse said. “I believe art is for everyone.”
To see Besherse’s work, visit Main Spring Arts Gallery and Studios, at 110 S. Main Street.