While Dave’s years of painting have seen him work in many genres along the realist/Impressionist spectrum, his passion has always been, and continues to be the Landscape; encompassing rural fields and farms, the deep forests, the rocks, trees, and crystal waters of the Great Lakes, and overall, the spectacular skies and clouds that only life outside the confines of the city can provide.

Since the age of 13, to feed this passion, he has traveled extensively across Canada, to the UK, US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Vancouver Island, and Newfoundland where, until recently, he maintained a studio perched on the rocks near Port aux Basques.

Growing up and continuing to live in Simcoe County since 1947, one of his favourite destinations remains the beautiful Great Lakes/Georgian Bay area. In this essentially unexplored Canadian jewel, Dave continues to set out in his red canoe, as he solo paddles around countless islands and into hidden bays, capturing his iconic Canadian scenes.

Soft pastels were Dave’s first love for many years, during which time his arresting landscapes and still life were highly acclaimed and widely collected across Canada. In recent years however, he has added oil painting to his practice, creating luminous large scale skyscapes and landscapes which continue to demonstrate his exceptional mastery of colour and composition.

Throughout his career, Dave has given and continues to provide workshops, demonstrations, and speaking engagements. His expertise has resulted in numerous jurying occasions, he has produced teaching DVDs, and he is currently working on an instructional book based on his lifetime techniques and experiences as an artist. He is self-published and over the years has produced over 20 limited edition print series in lithography and giclée formats. Many of his works, both original and reproductions are regularly donated to worthwhile fundraising events in his area.

A final note … before devoting himself to his full-time pursuit as an artist, Dave was a marketing executive for Southam Newspapers. In 1981, at the age of 40, he traded in his well worn briefcase for boxes of art supplies and an easel. Fortunately for us, he has never looked back.

EXHIBITIONS
1980                     Westmount Gallery, Montreal Solo Show
1981-2007           Annual Buckhorn Festival of Fine Arts
1981-1987           Pastel Society of Canada Annual Exhibitions
1984                     Pastel Society of America, Signature member
1986-today         Thanksgiving Images Tour, Simcoe County
1990                     Peninsula Gallery, Sidney, British Columbia
1995                     Grand Hotel, Kamloops, BC
2019                     Dave Beckett Retrospective, Orillia Museum of Art and History

ASSOCIATIONS
Pastel Society of America – signature member since 1984
Pastel Society of Canada – signature member since 1982
Pastel Artists, Canada – signature member since 2018

PUBLICATIONS
1998                      “International Artists”
1996                      “American Artist”
1997                      “Work Small, Think Big”, published by American Artist
Numerous articles and reviews in The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star