About Beauregard (the frog)

Jim, owner of Joy Gallery in Key West, recently asked me about the origins of Beauregard, the tiny green frog.  And I thought I’d take a few minutes to talk about him here on my blog.

Beauregard originated from a brief and rather minor experience I had with a tiny green frog attached to a window.  I stared at him from inside (noticing his intricate webbed and tiny toes) wondering about him.  What is he looking at right now?  What is he thinking?  What led him to this window?  What did he do earlier today?  What will he do after his time on the window?  Just what in the world does a tiny green frog do all day anyway?

Beauregard started as a departure for me.   Prior to Beauregard, I hadn’t painted any real characters.  Sure, I’d painted animals, but nothing I would consider a character.  Chance Encounter has a pair of curious butterflies, Traveler has a thoughtful sea turtle, New Beginning has a baby turtle making his way back to the sea.  Still, none of them were characters.  In actuality, I was painting a lot of landscape and ocean scenes, so a turtle here and there was a natural progression.  But a frog?  Complete departure. 

The first paintings to feature Beauregard were Hey You and Hey Me.   They were painted as a pair, named simultaneously and released together in the same weekend at the same show.  Both originals sold the very first weekend I showed them.  That was great news to me, but what really impressed me was how people seemed to be drawn to frog and how his curiosity and youthful inquisitiveness made viewers smile.

People really seemed to like him.  Beauregard made onlookers happy.  And that made me happy.

My number one goal with every painting is to generate an emotion of happiness.  If my work is not meeting that goal, if I’m not seeing smiles … then, my art is not hitting the mark.  Primarily, I paint what makes me happy and I hope with every fiber of my being that it also makes others happy.  End of story.

So, of course I had to wonder if more of Beauregard and his curious nature would result in more smiles.  

Eventually, Beauregard led to me painting more characters:
a bumble bee (in Busy Bee)
a duck (in Sitting Duck)
a koi (in Playing Koi)
a painter turtle (in Piggyback)
… and many others

Beauregard even led to my first human character whose face partially appears.  The traveling girl in the blue dress appears in several paintings now:
8:15 (the first painting in which she appeared)
Trust
Departure
Crossing (a commissioned piece)

Today, Beauregard is a staple in my work.  Even when he’s not the featured character in a painting,  you’ll see him in most paintings (well, most paintings since his birth – of course he’s not in my paintings that existed prior). Look closely to find him in:
all four of the above-mentioned paintings featuring the traveling girl
Haven
Scout and The Siege
Watering Hole
In For the Night
… and many others

One interesting fact about Beauregard that I like to share … you’ll never find him eating or tasting anything.  After all, if you look closely at the paintings, you’ll see that he has no mouth.

Beauregard is curious about his world.  I love that about his nature and I think it’s a large part of his appeal.  It’s much like watching a puppy stumble upon his first grasshopper or a child discover his reflection for the first time.  Beauregard embodies youthful curiosity without bias.  Though he never speaks (no mouth, remember?), but his eyes tell everything.

Beauregard has certainly made an impression on my paintings and brings a new level of excitement and wonder to each painting I create.  I can only hope he makes a similar impact on anyone who sees him.

Advertisement