By Ed Karvoski Jr., Culture Editor
Photo/Jesse Power
HUDSON – Stephen Beccia of Hudson continues discovering ways to express himself creatively.
As a musician, he has performed with bands as a bassist and vocalist since his teens. As a writer, he authored books and short stories. Now, he’s exhibiting his work as a visual artist.
“Being creative gives me peace of mind,” he shared. “I enjoy creating and giving something to somebody that they can relate to, whether it’s a song, a book or a painting.”
Face the music
Photo/submitted
Growing up in Milford, a 13-year-old Beccia became fascinated with performing music in the 1970s when he saw the heavy metal, glam rock band Kiss on the television show “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.”
“I loved the whole theatrics and energy of the act,” he said of Kiss’ spectacularly costumed antics. “They’re like cartoon characters.”
He and two buddies formed a musical trio. They performed at Milford venues, including an elementary school.
“My dad was a selectman in Milford at the time and saw opportunities for us to play,” he relayed. “After a few minutes of us playing for a function at the Milford Armory, a guy unplugged the power and said we were too loud.”
Subsequent bands that Beccia played with in the 1980s through 1990s opened for notable headliners such as Extreme, Fahrenheit, The Fools, Marshall Tucker, Grand Funk Railroad and Steppenwolf.
Beccia has performed in recent years with the pop-rock band One Eleven at venues including Boston’s Hard Rock Café, Wachusett Mountain MusicFest and Showcase Live at Patriot Place in Foxborough.
Spinning tales
Another chapter of Beccia’s creativity progressed in 2006 with the publication of his children’s book titled “The Treelanders,” followed by “The Hawk Squad” in 2013. In between, he published several short stories for adult readers. His books are available at online booksellers. He’s currently working on a graphic novel.
“I love spinning a tale,” he noted. “Sometimes, you don’t even realize what you’re writing because there’s an invisible force – a muse – that takes over.”
Painting abstracts
Photo/submitted
His creative juices flowed in yet another direction when he received a Michaels gift card for Christmas in 2017. He stocked up on art supplies, including acrylic paints, brushes and canvases.
“I’ve been painting nonstop since that day,” he relayed. “Now, I have a boatload of paintings. A lot of artists paint realism; I like to do abstracts. Why paint what exists when you can paint what does not? Meaning, this crazy abstract doesn’t exist until I paint it.”
Beccia creates his artwork at Hudson Art Studios, located in the Odd Fellows Building at 14 Main St., Suite 4. His artwork gets exhibited at Vintage Café in Hudson and at the Loading Dock Gallery in Lowell, where he’s a member. He appreciates networking within Lowell’s thriving arts community.
“It’s a cool vibe to be part of an arts scene,” he noted. “Everybody interacts with one another and shares ideas.”
In 2019, he was selected to paint and exhibit his mural titled “Love Peace and Harmony” for Fitchburg’s Activate Mill Street. His and other murals surround an outdoor stage in the city’s downtown.
“I feel honored to be part of anything that builds up a community,” Beccia said of his contribution toward Fitchburg’s initiative.
This was Beccia’s first attempt at creating a mural. He encourages others to experiment.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s art, writing or baking bread for the first time; we should all jump out of our comfort zone once in a while,” he advised. “It’s trying something that you could excel at, but you’d never know if you don’t try. It’s always good to try something new.”
Contact Stephen Beccia via Instagram or Facebook.
