November Artist Feature: Laura Bethmann
We are thrilled to highlight the work of Laura Bethmann, whose work is featured in A Pinelands Portrait: Art of the Pine Barrens, curated by Kate Ogden, professor of Art History at Stockton University. Bethmann is a watercolor painter and nature printer who gardens and writes books. Her artwork is exhibited in galleries and museums, and she presents workshops and lecture demonstrations for colleges, art centers, botanical gardens and other organizations. Laura’s books include Nature Printing and Hand Printing from Nature, and she is a columnist for the The Botanical Artist. She has demonstrated her techniques on The Discovery Channel, Lifetime Network and HGTV; other press includes WHYY radio and Good Housekeeping Magazine.
Moons In Mind.Lilies, Watercolor, 42x26 inches. Image Courtesy of the Artist.
Can you tell us about your practice?
The natural world, particularly botanicals, are principal subjects for me and have been for decades. The paintings shown here are from a series of eleven watercolor paintings called, There’s Still Life On This Planet. The flowers were mainly sourced from my garden. They’re painted ten to fifteen times larger than life. I make sketches and take photographs for reference. Sketches help me form the final composition which is transferred to Arches watercolor paper. Then I make lots of color tests on a separate sheet to determine my palette and layering strategy. To achieve the saturated hues I’m after requires many layers of watercolor and takes up to four weeks for completion. I work from life initially and the photos become important references due to the long painting process. I work on one or two paintings at a time and drink lots of tea.
Growth Poem.Lilies, Watercolor, 22x30 inches. Image Courtesy of the Artist.
There are moons and celestial bodies in your watercolor paintings of flowers, can you tell us about their relationship in your paintings?
The moons were unexpected. On the first painting I attempted, I randomly left some circular areas of paper unpainted while layering in the dark, deep space surrounding the flowers. I soon determined the circles were moons, and painted them as gray, glowing companions to the flowers. As the series progressed, moons and planets continued to appear, some of the paintings also include stellar and spiral forms. As it turns out, the process of creating this series helped get me through a debilitating time. Gardens and the night sky are sources of peace and constancy for me.
Generosity of Life.Lilies, Watercolor, 22x30 inches. Image Courtesy of the Artist.
How has South Jersey impacted your art practice?
I moved to South Jersey with my husband in 1979. Shortly after, I attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The South Jersey landscape is flatter and wider than North and Central Jersey where I lived previously, and the population is less crowded and friendlier. The quiet, arresting beauty of the Pine Barrens, and its native and rare plants captivated me. I began my first garden here. Gradually, my subject matter and process changed accordingly. I enjoy meeting many engaging artists and arts professionals in the area, and visiting and working with some of the wonderful art institutions here.
Learn more about Laura Bethmann’s art here! Follow her on Facebook!
