Orchidée 73, 1973

Cristina Fournier Beeche  

Cristina Fournier Beeche was born on August 19, 1937 in Costa Rica.

A renowned watercolor painter during her lifetime, she graduated from the School of Fine Arts at the University of San José in Costa Rica.

The majority of her work consists of watercolors painted directly from nature, but she also produced numerous oil paintings and illustrations for children's books. Her paintings highlight the beauty of landscapes, and she draws inspiration from French Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet and Renoir.

A self-described "nature lover," she excelled at depicting orchids, which she painted in the Impressionist style, capturing them in their natural habitat. Her paintings incorporated all the ferns, insects, and tropical plants that make up the orchid's environment. Her layering of leaves and other techniques allowed her to create a unique impression of abundance and depth.

Cristina Fournier Beeche drew inspiration from the landscapes of her country but also from Provence, Touraine, Spain and the Netherlands where she was amazed by the fields of sunflowers, poppies and tulips.

A graduate of the Flintridge Sacres Heart Academy in California, she received the Medal of Merit from that institution, participated in more than eighty exhibitions, and her works can be found in several museums in Costa Rica and in numerous private collections.

His main works depict landscapes, flowers (water lilies, orchids, sunflowers, ferns), cockfights, and traditional farms.

Cristina Fournier Beeche died in Costa Rica in 2016 at the age of 79.