My art? It comes from my heart. Most of my work is connected to seeing, feeling, experiencing. Bits of me and bits of others may be uncovered on the canvas. My inspiration many times, comes from working in human services with victims and survivors of crime, as well as those who battle addictions and mental illness; sometimes pain and struggle, sometimes pretty and sometimes gritty, sometimes success and empowerment, sometimes the relationship with self and others, sometimes dreams & wishes, sometimes fantasy. I use art in my work with survivors and know the healing power of expression.

I do not strive to create perfection or photo-realism because in this life, we are imperfect. Our view of the world is uniquely ours and ours alone. If I had to pick a style, I would say contemporary realism, a little fractured, a little cubist. I find beauty and value in many styles. I can plan the style, the method and the destination but often my brush takes me in a new and different direction. It is possible you will find a bit of you in my art. That is the joy and wonder of art.

I do a variety of mediums including but not limited to watercolor, acrylic, mixed, silverpoint, flame-art, graphite, charcoal and ink.

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bakbaf@gmail.com

Beth Kane The roots

The paternal side of my family is artistic, and I learned this at an early age. I say. I have a” vein of talent with an artery of passion” and I thank them for those genes. Multiple nieces, nephews, cousins have this vein running through them as well.

When I was a little girl, I remember my Uncle Gene, sitting and drawing at the kitchen table at my Grandparent’s farmhouse. I was fascinated with him and what I saw appear on paper. He was amazing with many mediums, but what I recall was his cartooning. He was a cartoonist with connections to Saturday Evening Post. I loved those moments and our interactions, always looking forward to our kitchen table sketching, they held a bit of magic. Being young and innocent, I had no idea that this man struggled fiercely with depression, the highs and lows of bipolar, and I felt a deep loss and sadness when he took his own life. When I look at my history, I know this was “the moment” that infused art in my soul along with a sensitivity to people and their struggles.

Through grade school, I drew (alot) and kept the drawings in my schoolbooks, many times pretending I was reading the story, but actually, I was more likely to be drawing it. I was a daydreamer, always looking at how things connected, how things moved, how things lived and died. Colors fascinated me and my first speech in Jr. High was what the world would be like without color. I shared a bedroom with my older sister who was as orderly as I was a mess. Why would anyone be upset about my painted footprints being on the walls? Knowing now, what I didn’t know then, I believe it’s called ADHD and although it gave my family many difficult moments, I’m grateful for imagination it’s provided me.

I majored in art in H.S., although I would say I’m “self-taught”. My art teachers were more about peace, love and “do your own thang” than providing an education. It was the “times”, the height of anti-establishment, the war in Viet Nam, the shirttails of Woodstock, keep on truckin’, & flower power. I think there truly was a basket weaving class in High School.

My plan was to study art in college. I went for one day, had an anxiety attack and quit. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew I couldn’t do this. That anxiety has a vein too. It’s taken me years of self-reflection, examining what motivates me in art and what doesn’t. I realized early that the panic was sparked by deadlines, the dread by commissions. I gave myself permission to learn from what I initially saw as failure (I mean, a first day drop-out?). The art came out of the closet, fears faced, and it’s been both meaningful and a joy. The joy? It comes from the freedom of daydreaming, connecting, creating. The learning? It happens every single day.

October Artist of The Month Beth Kane

Beth Kane The roots