The mixed media, photography, and electronic work is actually relatively new for Beth. Judging by the debris around our room, her primary medium is paint. At least, for our purposes, I’m placing ink washes and such under this category.

If you visit our house, you will see a plethora of paintings. Many are figure studies, finely worked nudes and masterfully rendered drapery. Beth has the skills to make a salable portrait, and I’ve seen her put hours into copies of ancient masterworks.

However, judging by the pieces she decided to place online, classic technique is far from her mind. She seems more interested in limits, the limits of paint, the edge of her perception. Many of the pieces she cherishes the most were made in shockingly short periods of time, especially when considering the trials of the medium. These two, from the gallery simply titled Paint, are obviously explorative. Others in the gallery are inquests into her anxieties and celebrations of her obsessions. Classic craft is a tool to be twisted or gleefully ignored.

This image, from her Mash Ups set is a fine example of a series of small canvases that have lately been stashed around the bathroom and hallways. They are inspired, I think, by our horribly textured walls, which Beth stares at for hours, finding animals and demons, faces and constellations. Again, exploration – no such work could be precisely pre-conceptualized.

The gallery Ask A Grown Up showcases a slightly more conventional series. The copy work here is unfortunately lacking, these pieces are much more attractive offline (I’ll be helping with this soon, I’m sure. I bet we can make em look better on the site).

These are children Beth has had a hand in raising, her two much younger siblings and a pair she often cares for while their parents are away. On the cusp of adulthood, they may be eager to leave childish things behind (or in the background as it were, har.)

These are my interpretations, of course, and in a curt manner. There’s a lot to be found in her brush touched works. She tells me more will be online very soon. One I’ve seen – a portrait of our landlord’s dog, a Chihuahua, towering god-like over a quaint European landscape.