IsAbel

Following her death in 2009, the Peninsula Arts Association was given hundreds of pieces of artwork by local master artist, IsAbel Beaudoin.   Currently we are looking for ways to celebrate her life and her work.  Soon we will have an Etsy site up featuring her fiber pieces.
The following was taken from the her Memoriam and can be viewed in full here.
A fascinating and colorful journey through life has come to an end for Isabel Beaudoin, age 87, who died Monday, August 31, 2009. Though the artist’s hands are now still, her legacy will continue for generations through her artwork.
Isabel Mary Beaudoin was born on December 6, 1921, oldest daughter of the late Peter and Josephine (Duffrin) Beaudoin. As a young girl, she and her sister and mother spent summers on her grandparents’ farm near Stephenson, Michigan. It was life on “The Farm” that would later be the inspiration for many of her paintings.
After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy in Green Bay, Isabel attended the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Fine Arts Program, graduating with a degree in Art Education at age 20.
Isabel then began a 34 year career as an art teacher in the Green Bay Schools teaching kindergarten through junior high. Isabel was always anxious to bring creative projects to her students. Often, to the delight of her nieces and nephew, she tried out her new ideas with them. She also trained art teachers at St. Norbert College and Green Bay Vocational School. Isabel later taught art classes at the Peninsula School of Arts.
With her summers free, Isabel was able to combine her love of travel with her quest for knowledge of her craft. She studied art history at the University of Sophia, Tokyo, Japan; lacquer painting and wood carving at the Instituto Allende, San Miguel, Mexico; screen printing at the University of Hawaii; batik at the University of Tennessee; and water color painting at Bangor College, Wales, England.
She also participated in study tours of Ecuador, Nepal, India, and Cuba. Other travel destinations included Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Poland, France, Russia, Canada, Norway, Italy, and Spain. Always a sketchbook in hand, Isabel captured the landscapes and cultures of countries she visited, and later turned these images into her own unique and thought-provoking artwork.
Throughout her career, Isabel’s artwork was shown in numerous regional, national, and international exhibitions. Many sales galleries across the country have also featured her extraordinary work.
Isabel always dreamed of opening her own art gallery which became a reality with Gallery Isabel in Fish Creek. In the natural setting of Door County, she nurtured colorful flower gardens, creating an oasis of inspiration for her creativity. It was here the Master Artist devoted the rest of her life to what she loved most, her artwork. With the peace and serenity of beautiful Door County, the companionship of good friends and family, surrounded by her works of art, Isabel’s life was complete.