Beth Barnes

Some people have seen my paintings as a commentary about life and death, heaven and hell, sails and gravestones. This may all be true, but I was not thinking about any of this while I was painting. It so happened that the sail lent itself to me to work towards something that I enjoyed painting.       The fact remains that I like subjects that can be simplified. The discovery of painting a sail or a simple gravestone was a strong step in the right direction. Since the very first painting, I have aimed to edit my subjects continually to find out how far I can push them. The details have dissipated and the sails are more modeled.       My “gravestones” are similar in that I still simplify their major form, eliminating unnecessary detail, but instead of pushing the form to its limit, I work with light and drama. These paintings are dark, but they still have strong illumination within them. These same concerns of light and form are at the core of my work.

Obsession, 36" x 44", oil

Select a thumbnail image to view an artwork.

7		Destiny	36” x 24”	oil on canvas
8		Soling 85	36” x 30”	oil on canvas
9		Soling 761	34” x 28”	oil on canvas
10		Spooner	44” x 34”	oil on canvas
11		Obsession	44” x 36”	oil on canvas
12		Murphy	36” x 30”	oil on canvas
13		Adele	36” x 30”	oil on canvas
14		Lance	30” x 36”	oil on canvas
15		Bernard	48” x 36”	oil on canvas

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