About THE ARTIST

Beth is a mixed media artist based in Bella Vista, Arkansas painting primarily in encaustics, which is a process of mixing and heating beeswax, pigment, and resin. Her “waxscapes” investigate the tension between real and built worlds and are deeply inspired by nature. She has painted since she was a child and began working in encaustics nine years ago when she took a workshop at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art while working at the museum. She fell in love with the medium and began her journey of learning and practicing in wax, while also working full-time as a PR/Communications professional.

During the pandemic, she moved to the woods and created a dedicated studio space. Her practice became steadier as it was a channel for healing and hope during an uncertain time. Recently, she stepped away from a 20+ year career where she promoted the arts and wellness– and continues to explore the connection between art, nature, and well-being in her art practice.

Beth has an undergraduate degree in fine arts and a master’s in media communications. Her work has been acquired by collectors all over the country including Square, (payment app), as part of their corporate collection. She is one of the artist in the MAKR Studio Artist Showcase & Speaker Series, featured in Art on the Square gallery in Bentonville, Arkansas, and her work is included in Natural State, a Femme Forward collective exhibition at Local Color Studio Gallery. In 2024, she was selected in the juried exhibition, LUSH at Midnight Gallery and was a part of an international exhibition, Canadian Encaustic Conference, Near and Far, and in 2023, her encaustic works were included in a juried exhibition at Walton Arts Center’s exhibition, Our Art, Our Region, Our Time. In 2022, she was a featured artist at Arkansas Public Theatre at the Victory in Rogers, Arkansas.

When not making art, she can be found reading, in nature, hosting a podcast, A New American Town, supporting local artists, leading her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop, and spending time with family.

Artist Statement:

I am 44 years old and starting a new journey that centers well-being through art. The transformational process of melting, painting layers, fusing, and scraping back wax helps me reflect on my own healing journey. I create mythic landscapes using organic materials that deepen my connection to my natural surroundings. Rich colors, pops of gold, and waxy texture create layers of meaning and stories that reveal history, hope joy, and a fierceness to survive and thrive.

Curiosity about nature and the human condition guides my artwork, which are love letters to the living things, ideas, and places that have shaped me, especially the gentle mountains, trees, and changing seasons in Northwest Arkansas. My charge can be summarized with words from my favorite poet, Mary Oliver:

“Instructions for living a life: Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.”