Artist Biography - Harold Beardsley
Harold Herbert Beardsley was born in South Dakota in May 1900, where he lived until early adulthood. At just ten years old, Beardsley suffered the loss of his father, a tragedy that left him as the sole provider for his mother and four younger siblings. In the mid-1920s, Beardsley and his family relocated to Denver, Colorado, where he developed a profound appreciation for Colorado's majestic landscape. He was so captivated by his new home that he rarely left the state again, not even for a vacation.
A self-taught artist, Beardsley immersed himself in painting, drawing, and etching while balancing a full-time job at a tool company and pursuing inventive projects on the side. In 1928, he helped found the Denver Artists Guild, an organization devoted to showcasing the region’s finest artists and making their work accessible to the public. In the late 1930s, he met Beulah House Beardsley, a fellow artist and Guild member. The two formed a close connection and eventually eloped in Taos in the early 1940s.
Beardsley’s work reflects his enduring love for Colorado’s mountains, rivers, and plains. His hunting scenes, rather than glorifying sport or trophy hunting, speak to the role of provider and survivor that defined him from childhood. Other pieces explore the relationship between nature and human intervention, depicting ranches, mining sites, and infrastructure projects amidst otherwise untouched terrain. Regardless of content, Beardsley strove to portray his subjects with plain intention and raw integrity.
