Mary Caroline (Killy) Beard was born in 1926 in Brooklyn, NY. She attended
Stevens College and Carnegie Institute where she studied art. After
marrying James Beard of Decorah, Iowa in 1950, she devoted the next
25 years to her life to raising their five children. Her time for art
was limited to church bazaars and home decorations, including a bathroom
with life-size jungle animals painted on the walls. In the late 1970s,
her production of art increased significantly, especially in watercolor
and the creation of paper mache sculptures that were often infused with
a keen sense of humor. She regularly painted with a group of other Decorah
artists, and together they attended art workshops and entered state
art competitions. Killy's work most often focused on the familiar aspects
of rural life, its land and buildings, people and animals. Killy died
in 2003.
