Page 5 - Savoring

“We need to start thinking about art in a different way– it’s not just about how ‘real’ something looks, but also what it means.” -- Burton Silverman
Realism without significance is only copying. Even though my work is realistic, there is always some idea behind the image that is greater than the image itself: it is universal. My work is a lifelike representation of life in the 21st century and usually has some other theme as well. Poetry interacts strongly with my work, and I have been invigorated and stimulated by collaborations with the poets whose work is paired with my work. It’s not a one-way street either. Many paintings have been altered or made anew because of a poem.
I love portraiture. Some people believe portrait artists copy, but we really make the invisible visible. The best way to do this is to paint from life. We paint complicated emotions and people just as they are in the fleeting moments we call life. I am often drawn to the complex, the nuanced, the unusual, even the marginal or the pioneer. Many times there are references to Art History or even other artists I admire. My aim is to make a work of art that can stand on its own merits in addition to representing outward physical features.
Plein-aire painting is also painting from life, making the invisible visible. Some may see an abstract painting, but they are really compositions that come from shadows on the land or even compositions from close-ups. I pay attention to shadow shapes but also, for instance, how the sun affects clouds when we face different directions, how many colors are in a shadow, how reflections affect value and color, how moisture can interact with shape. Some day, stand outside and look 180 degrees east to west - you’ll see how the colors change from one direction to another, a kind of horizontal perspective. If you look up, you’ll see how the sky and land change from the horizon all the way up. You’ll see that grey is never just grey -- it contains hints of color each time.
Writing and reading poems are reflective acts, similar to how I act and I’d like my viewer to reflect. This means looking and thinking slowly. Savoring.
Betty L. Beer Brookings, SD 2012
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ARTIST STATEMENT
Self Portrait
Oil on linen canvas 2013
12” X 12”