Portraits and other figurative works

As I've stated previously,  I have painted and drawn many portraits throughout the years. One of the best things about my college (SCAD) experience was the specialized track in learning portraiture and figure painting.   I learned so much about the intricate and exponential tonal variations of human skin, the importance of accurate rendering as the basis for any successful portrait, the appropriate use of blurred vs. sharp edges, and so much more.  Portrait and figure painting is truly a lifelong endeavor, and I still have so much to learn.  I need to practice more. I need to draw more. One of the best things you can do to keep your skills sharp is to attend life drawing sessions and work from live models as practice. If you can afford it, take a portrait workshop with a top instructor.  I am also constantly studying the work and career of top figurative artists such as Amy Lind (a classmate of mine at SCAD), Jeremy Lipking, and Casey Baugh, to name a few. 


Here is a sampling of some of the portraits and figure paintings I have done over the years:

"Honeymoon in Bali."  Oil on linen.  2008

Portrait of Dr. Moye, retired president of Lanier Technical College.  Oil on canvas.  2009.

Self-Portrait.  Oil on canvas.  2006.

Oil on canvas.  2006.

"Weslin."  Oil on canvas.  2007.

Portrait of Wendell Starke.  Oil on linen.  2010.

"Alex."  Oil on canvas.  2007.

Linda Ellis's grandchildren.  Pastel on paper.  2007.

The Jackson Boys.  Acrylic on canvas.  48 x 60 inches. 2011.

Thank you for taking the time to come back to my little space here on the interweb! I hope you have enjoyed checking out some of my work through the years.  An artist's education is never really finished and I look forward to improving my skills in 2012, and completing several more portraits I have in progress.  For more information or any questions on my portrait process, feel free to email me! 

-Beth 

Shades of my mother

One of my biggest artistic inspirations is my mother, Margaret (or Moogy, as is her grandmother moniker.  Jack is her first grandbaby, but she’s got another one on the way!) Her art is incredible and her talents are multifaceted.  Sometimes I call her the Renaissance Woman because she seemingly can do everything: not only is she a karate black belt and a 4.5 tennis player, but she is also a gifted writer, talented gardener and “fixer” of anything, and an endlessly creative and unique artist.  I’m so blessed to have a mother as inspiring as she.  Moogy is known for making art for the home and the garden from found elements such as street signs, bottles, hubcaps, and furniture, and is very adept with construction materials and welding, and 3-dimensional pieces. Her paintings are also stunning. One of the most well-known facets of her creative genius is the way she incorporates art into her home. 

My father is also quite a multifaceted individual.  Not only is he an M.D. and an outstanding golfer, but also a poet.  Here’s a poem he wrote about mom’s art:

She collects the discarded

Should I be surprised

She scours the departed

And redeems the disguised

She stoops for the decayed

And renews their faces

They are wholly amazed

At her tender graces

They proudly adorn

Their garden homes

Their smiles are worn.

Redemptive forms

Who sees the treasure

Of the fallen.

But

A wife and mother.

Dad and Mom

 

Here are some of the best pieces in her house:

This is her most recent project.  I love how she has turned the books into a color-blocked mantel arrangement.  She made the moss-covered "H", and I painted that little abstract piece.

 

Here is the sitting room she has been working on, with alot of art of mine, hers, and my sister Meg's.

Hand-laid broken tile and glass mosaic "river", with bits of marbles and stones, running down the dining room floor. 

 

Similar process as the river. Abstract patterned genius. This is in the guest bathroom and is one of the coolest things she's ever done in my opinion.

 

She painted this to go over their bed; the colors work perfectly with the room's shades of turqoise and red. Acrylic on board.

 

Painted acrylic mural rendering of Van Gogh's "Starry Night".  On all four walls of my dad's bathroom:

 

Outdoor shower with bamboo and copper.  Craziness.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful beginning to 2012! I'll be back soon with more. . .

-Beth

Drawings and Paintings

The majority of my art from the last 7 years or so has been oil paintings, and some acrylics, with the subject matter ranging from portraits to landscapes, and some abstract pieces with washes, drips, and splashes of color. I have also done a substantial amount of pastels and charcoal works.  At this time, as in introduction to my art, I’d like to show you some of my most recent paintings and drawings.  This first piece is charcoal on paper, 22X30 inches, and was drawn for my uncle Ben’s Christmas present.  The subject matter is comprised of Ben’s camping and hunting materials: shotgun, cowboy hat, shotgun shells, rusty lantern, cigars, etc…I really love drawing with charcoal.  While graphite pencils are often considered sturdy, reliable and precise, charcoal, on the other hand, is a unique counterpart: it’s bold, messy, daring, versatile, and dramatic. It’s much darker than any pencil and has a different richness.  You can create extremely realistic, sensitive drawings with it, while there is something about picking up that dusty stump of charcoal that frees us to go big, expressive and gestural. 

"Ben"  2011, 22 x 30, Charcoal on paper

I’ve done many charcoal drawings over the years.  Here are a few:

"Woodstock"  2009, 18 x 24, Charcoal on paper

"Steele"  2007,  12 x 16, Charcoal on paper

This painting was done for my brother and sister-in-law, of their white boxer, Bella.  It is large, at 36x48 inches, and painted in acrylic.  I have painted MANY pet portraits, and am always available for commissions. This loose, colorful style is how I enjoy painting the most, though I am able to ‘tighten up’ and paint more realistically as well. 

"Bella"  2011, 48 x 60, Acrylic on canvas

Stay posted for more paintings, as I am working on a new body of work, and please contact me at bhenson25@gmail.com for any painting or commission inquiries. 

After years of thinking about it, I am finally doing it: starting an online presence here to display my art, musings on life and motherhood, inspirations, and more.  I’ll start by telling you a little about myself.  My name is Beth, and currently I am all over the place.  I am an artist first, with formal training and a Painting degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.  I paint commissioned portraits (children, adults, pets), as well as any other type of painting your heart desires, such as landscapes, abstracts, murals, etc…and I teach art lessons.  I will also be creating some other hand-painted and crafted items for sale in 2012, so stay tuned. In addition to my art life, I also work in athletics, as the assistant basketball coach for Brenau University in Gainesville, GA., I’m almost finished with my Masters degree, and am a new and full-time mother to my sweet 3 month old angel, Jack.  Life, obviously, is very busy for me right now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Hopefully, this blog will be a new creative outlet for me, and a way to display my art life as well as my photographs.  I hope you will come back and visit this site for updates on available new works as well as random trains of thought from yours truly.