Bjorn Thorkelson Beelde

About the Artist

A native of Southern California, Bjorn lives with is wife Connie and their four boys, - Jae, Braden, Shawn, and Riley in his Southeastern Idaho studio/home. Art has been his passion since early childhood and he cannot remember wanting to do anything else. His early "crayon studies" of kindergarten took on more importance as he realized that he wanted to be an artist. "I've always loved to draw," he says, "it's as simple as that. Painting is merely an extension of that desire." After graduating from Art Center College of Design with honors, he pursued illustration as a practical means of providing for a young family and preparing to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a painter. In his illustration pursuits, he achieved both financial and critical success, but never felt the satisfaction he desired. "I always knew what I wanted to do," he says. "At some point, I just had to go for it, and paint for myself." So, after 12 years as a full time illustrator, he has entered the fine art gallery market. Bjorn adds, "I look at my years as an illustrator as a period of intense learning and preparation. Over 15 years of illustration, I learned how to draw and paint and I acquired the skills necessary to create art. I'm now able to enter the galleries with a more mature vision of who I am and what I want to communicate. I'm passionate about what I do. I wake up everyday with a new hope of creating something special or learning something new."