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IN THE COUNTRY
Bejat grew up on a small farm outside of Dayton, Ohio, far from the sophisticated capital city of Austin, Texas, she would later call home. "My childhood friends and I used to run through the woods like wild animals, screaming and chasing each other," she recalls. "We examined every insect, animal and flower in those woods. My interest in nature began there, with my nose three inches above the grass." Nearly 20 years later, that same interest would lead her into the jungles of South America on an environmental mission to enlighten others through her art. At an early age, Bejat's experiences on that Ohio farm also taught her of the fleeting gift that is sometimes nature. When her father, a farmer and mechanic for Borden, took a job with Coca-Cola, she and her family had to leave the farm and move to Houston. IN THE CITY Despite her awkwardness in the big city - or perhaps because of it - she immersed herself in her art, returning if only imaginatively to the forests and open spaces of the country she'd been forced to abandon. This same artistic withdrawal gave her focus, however, and she soon began winning art competitions. Within a few short years, she had co-founded the school's Visual Arts Club and was regularly exhibiting her work on campus. When it came time to think about college, she chose the esteemed University of Texas at Austin. "The environmental awareness and natural beauty of Austin had an enormous impact on my work," she says. "I produced numerous visual studies of the local landscape. Naturally, they coalesced around environmental issues."After eleven years in Austin, Bejat and her husband, Shawn sold their home and have been preparing for an extended stay in the Amazon region of Ecuador. Currently, Bejat is involved with many environmental art projects in Houston and Seabrook, like the mural at Ed White Elementary where she worked with children K-5 to develop a native wetland habitat scene.
IN THE JUNGLE
In fact, it was Bejat's growing commitment toward environmental conservation that brought her to South America on a prized travel fellowship. In a June 1998 letter, she recounts a segment of her journey: "I have vivid memories of the Amazon, the Inca Trail, Zamora and Vilcabamba. In the primary-growth rainforests of the Peruvian Amazon's upper basin, my fiance' and I collected more than 60 species of reptiles, amphibians, insects and arachnids to identify, draw, paint and photograph before releasing. The flora was incredible, and I relished painting Heliconia, Bromeliads and Orchids. My goal is to return to the jungles as soon as possible. The rate of destruction is rampant, and there is so much to discover before much of the rainforests are lost forever. ..." Bejat's artistic devotion is matched only by her passion for preserving what she observes in nature. Few artists have risen so quickly, traveled so far or earned such grass-roots recognition. In the years to come, she will return to the Amazon basin and continue her work, inspiring environmental awareness among all those who appreciate contemporary fine art.
AWARDS
Throughout her career, Bejat has earned many prestigious honors and awards for her work, including most recently she was chosen as artist for the Pelican Path Project. She embellished six fiberglass pelicans with native species of the Seabrook area. These seven foot pelicans perch roadside for all to see and learn. Bejat has been honored to represent the Seabrook and Bay area on several occassions with various affiliations to promote environmental awareness through art. While in college she received the distinguished University of Texas Art Merit Award (1997), the Travel Fellowship Award for her fine art research in South America (1997), numerous First Place Awards in both Drawing and Painting from the Texas Fine Arts Council (1995), Honors from the Austin Parks and Recreation Commission (1993), and various awards from State and local publications and organizations. An active member of many preservation societies, Bejat is also the artist, photographer and secretary for TADPOLE, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and study of amphibians and their distributions in the Amazon. Please visit www.tadpoleorg.org for more information. Bejat lives, works and paints in Kemah, TX with her husband, Shawn until their upcoming departure to the Amazon. |
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© Copyright 2005-2010, Bejat McCracken |
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