I love the process of painting - the physical process of applying paint to canvas.  I feel a real sense of freedom in allowing a spontaneous application of color and line to the prepared surface.  There is energy in painting that connects the external world and my private interior space. I appreciate the dialogue that takes place between the painter and the work in progress. Each painting has its own demands and evolves and reveals itself thru the process of painting.

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The process almost always begins with a line, or many lines drawn as fast as possible.  Then, I like to hang shapes and colors and textures among the lines.  Sometimes they tell a story or illustrate an emotion, but not always. Often I add objects to the surface of my work, creating a collage out of patterns and paint, line and texture.  When working with a live model I will start with a line drawing that is fairly representational but will then work itself into an abstraction of the mood or motion of the model.

For me, abstract art, like life, is always accessible and inaccessible at the same time. Both tangible and mysterious, abstract art contains the elements of surprise and spirituality.

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Beth Cartland, February 2014

cartlandb@outlook.com
202-341-7110
www.BethCartland.com

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Beth Cartland is represented by the Susan Calloway Fine Arts Gallery in Washington, D.C, The Phoenix Gallery in New York City and The Warm Springs Gallery in Charlottesville, VA. She has affiliations with galleries in Scottsdale, AZ; Dallas, TX and Westport, CT. She has exhibited throughout the United States, in Venezuela and with the International Women's Conference in Beijing, China. Her work was also shown in the Embassies of Croatia and Pakistan through the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program.

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