 Having studied all available exemplars found in museums, art galleries, shops, books, and otherwise, Beam's contemporary versions were largely influenced by the materials and sophisticated art dialogue present in the Anasazi works he saw.Also in the Anasazi tradition, Beam's bowls typically featured a bold design around the rim with his own unique images placed in the center.The result of his and Ann's early work was an exhibition in 1982 entitled "The Painted Pottery of Ann and Carl Beam" at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, with other shows to follow later.