ST. GEORGE — An author and artist paints a picture of vulnerability and perseverance that led to her success, showing other artists that sharing forms of self-expression can truly lead to something great.

Mary Beesley is that painter and published author. She has combined her ability to paint life’s stresses away by getting lost in the stories and characters she once jotted down on paper. As she pushed aside her fear of judgment and openly shared her artistic gifts with the world, she turned both passions into a full-time career she loves.

Beesley also is a mother of three children. She recalled the variety of emotions she experienced when she found out she was pregnant with her fourth child. 

“I think I probably needed therapy, but instead, I started writing stories,” Beesley said with a laugh.

A constant daydreamer, Beesley said this was the first time she actually wrote down any of her stories on paper. As she fell in love with writing, she wanted to increase her skills, so she signed up for writing classes.

She said she then wrote every day and never stopped. Nine years later, Beesley is a published author of five books. She said while she has loved the process, it hasn’t been an easy one. As her transcripts were turned down, she’s thankful for her own perseverance and drive to push forward, even when things grew challenging.

“The contrasting mix of hard work and rejection can ultimately lead to something great. But it didn’t happen overnight,” Beesley said.

Beesley is the author of the Draco Sang Trilogy, a young adult fantasy series about two twin brothers who are separated at birth and raised as enemies. The first book, “Dragon Blood,” came out in October 2020, and the trilogys’ last book, “Human Hearts,” was released at the beginning of June.

“I had this idea and you pull the thread and it just grows and grows,” she said. “As I worked on it, the world got bigger and bigger, and the characters just grew. I loved writing every page of it.”

All five of Beesley’s books were published in the last five years including “To Unite a Realm” and “Betting on Love.” With a goal to encourage others to open books more often, she said reading can be good for both the brain and the soul while also teaching compassion.

Beesley said with each of her books, she includes hard situations with raw honesty and grit, similar to real life, but also ends her books with a message of hope. With a belief in the strength and power of human resilience, she said, each person is a strong, capable agent of their own power.

“We have control and we can be the drivers in our own lives,” she said. “I think telling a story is a great way to drive that message home.”

As an author, Beesley said she goes through many rounds of edits, with structure and hard work involved. In contrast, her paintings help her feel less tied down and free to express herself in a different way. She originally fell in love with art in high school but also felt she wasn’t traditional or good enough, since her art didn’t look like those around her. As she got older and life got busier, she stopped painting altogether. 

Then COVID-19 hit, and that’s when she said she decided to pull out her watercolors. She, like many others, got back to her roots during quarantine, which was the silver lining to a chaotic situation. She found the process of painting to be peaceful and relaxing, so she began to paint more and more.

“That’s why my art is very whimsical and unstructured and colorful. It’s definitely not traditional. It’s a fun side where I don’t feel any pressure and I can do it for myself,” she said.

As she has dived into the art scene in Washington County, Beesley said she had no idea how big the art community really was. One day as she was wandering Main Street, she stumbled upon the MoFACo artisan co-op. As she spoke to the girl at the counter who also was an artist, her sister bragged about Beesley’s talent with paint. Initially hesitant and a little embarrassed, she said she was unsure if others would like her art since it was much different than the talented landscape paintings she had seen in the area.

“You can still live in the desert and have a leopard picture,” Beesley said. “People like what they like. It just took me a little bit to realize that.”

With a love for watercolor animals as well as abstract art, Beesley recently dabbled in the creation of mixed media art. She said the more she paints, the more creative she becomes.

An art piece she is currently working on, for example, has pieces of lace under acrylic paint as something new and unique.

“It’s really fun to both write and paint because they are both creative,” she said. “My books are very artistic as well. I’m creating stories and people, while my paintings couldn’t be more different.” 

Beesley said sometimes she feels like an imposter and that other artists are real and she’s not. She has watched people fall in love with her art and her books, and it has opened her eyes to the way others see and interpret various art forms. For artists who are nervous to be vulnerable and share their art forms with the world, she encouraged them to take the leap from creation at home to a public platform.

She’s experienced firsthand the powerful feeling that comes from being vulnerable. To those artists who remain hesitant, she said the world is always in need of more art and stories, and sharing that is a true gift to others.

“We are all born creators in whatever way that looks like or means to us,” she said. “I’ve just been so pleased with how respectful and kind people have been regarding both my art and my books.”

As for her upcoming goals, Beesley said she is currently working on the second book, “To Unite a Realm.” She has also signed with an agent and has another novel out on submission, which she hopes will be picked up soon.

For more information on Beesley, visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook. To chat with her in person, stop by her booth at the upcoming St. George Market in October.

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