Bea Orpen facts for kids

Bea Orpen (born Beatrice Esther Orpen; 7 March 1913 – 12 July 1980) was an important Irish artist. She was known for her beautiful landscape and portrait paintings. Bea was also a dedicated teacher. She helped create the Drogheda Municipal Gallery of Art, making art available to more people.

Becoming an Artist: Bea Orpen's Early Life and Education

Bea Orpen was born in Carrickmines, County Dublin, Ireland, on March 7, 1913. She was one of six children. Bea was taught at home by a governess until she was 13. Later, she attended schools in Bray and Dublin.

Bea loved art from a young age. She took private art lessons to learn about color and lines. She then studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) from 1932 to 1935. While studying, she won first prize for drawing from life in 1933. The next year, she won first prize for painting from life.

She continued her art studies in London at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1935 to 1939. Bea was very good at decorative design. She won first prize in decorative composition in 1936. She also learned about textile and commercial design.

In 1940, Bea married Chalmers Edward FitzJohn Trench, known as 'Terry'. They had three sons and one daughter together.

Bea Orpen's Artistic Journey

Bea Orpen first showed her art at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in 1939. She continued to exhibit her paintings there every year until 1980. In total, she showed over 100 paintings at the RHA. She also regularly exhibited with the Water Colour Society of Ireland.

While studying in London, Bea designed posters, brochures, and greeting cards for businesses. When she returned to Ireland in 1939, she had her first solo art show.

Bea is best known for her landscape paintings. She often used gouache, a type of paint, and preferred a calm color palette. She developed a quick painting style, which was perfect for this fast-drying paint. She mostly worked with watercolor and rarely used oil paints.

Bea loved to travel around Ireland to paint. She painted scenes in counties like Louth, Meath, Dublin, and Wicklow. She also traveled to other countries like Norway and France to paint.

She held several solo art shows during her career. These included shows at the Grafton Galleries and the Neptune Gallery. Bea also showed her work at many Irish art exhibitions and festivals.

Bea and her husband helped create the Drogheda Municipal Art Collection. This collection grew to include over 60 artworks by 1980. Today, these artworks are part of the Highlanes Gallery.

Bea Orpen as a Teacher and Community Leader

Bea Orpen was also a dedicated art teacher. She taught art at various schools in Drogheda from the 1940s to the 1970s. She also gave talks about art appreciation to both children and adults across Ireland. She worked as a lecturer for the Arts Council of Ireland.

Bea was a member of An Taisce, a group that protects Ireland's heritage and environment. She also served on government committees related to education and stamp design.

She was an active member of the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) from 1939. She taught art classes at An Grianán, the ICA's college. From 1959 to 1977, she created and led an annual art course for primary school teachers there.

Bea became the president of the ICA from 1974 to 1976. During her time as president, she focused on protecting the environment. She encouraged recycling and the creation of local history groups. She also represented Ireland at international conferences for rural women.

Later Life and Remembering Bea Orpen

In May 1978, Bea Orpen suffered a brain hemorrhage. This left her unable to paint. In May 1980, she was made an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy. Bea Orpen passed away on July 12, 1980, in Drogheda.

Her artwork has been shown in special exhibitions after her death. These include shows at the Gorry gallery in Dublin in 1981 and the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda in 1995. A building at Dublin City University is named in her honor. This shows how important her contributions were to Irish art and education.