Beth graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1995, and in 1997 received the RSA Benno Schotz Award. Her work is continually based on observation, making drawing outdoors a fundamental aspect to her working methods. The work is created with the aim of retaining the spontaneity of Beth's initial impressions and sketches within each final piece. She tries to evoke a sense of character in the landscape; to capture the feeling and essence of the landscape on a more intuitive level. Such atmospheric paintings have since earned Beth the Second Award from Jolomo Bank of Scotland Awards in 2011.
"Creating a painting is a process of discovery for me. I work in acrylic, ink, oil and also use paper. I enjoy experimenting with mixed media, creating surface and texture in the paintings through the use of collage, and varying the thickness of the paint from impasto to glazes. It's a balance between the inspiration and reference point of the landscape and allowing the painting to gain its own identity.
My aim is to return to a different way of seeing my surroundings, to a time before I had any knowledge of science or history and the world seemed full of possibilities.
I look for unusual structure in landforms and in coastal areas and try to emphasise their ambiguous qualities. I try in my work to evoke a sense of character in the landscape, to capture the feeling and essence of the landscape on a more intuitive level. Returning to favourite childhood haunts and seeing them afresh has given my painting a new dimension allowing memories to combine with new sights and experiences."
