April's Artist, Beth Pite Takes Us On A Walk To Remember...

"Tulips" - pastel painting - by Beth Pite

"My art is about color, energy and capturing the essence of something rather than an exact likeness. My paintings often suggest a vignette, a human story in intriguing settings like paths through trees, festivals, cityscapes, or boats in the setting sun. Using loose, gestural strokes of vibrant color, I want to show how it felt to be there, instead of just copying what my camera records.

Pastel painting is done with buttery, soft pastel sticks of pure pigment, rather than a brush. The immediacy of applying pastels directly to the surface of the painting helps convey the intensity of my experiences. Multiple layers of color take advantage of the pastel medium's ability to refract light, building rich dark and light areas without using dull black, white or brown. Instead, I play contrasting colors against each other to create vibrant energy.

Inspired by New England scenery or my travels in Europe and Latin America, I use my photographs to soak up a sense of the place. This helps me remember what was exciting about it when I later paint it in vivid, expressionistic color using energetic strokes. By favoring color, form and movement over exact representations of my subjects, I aim for an enhanced reality that lets viewers enjoy a more emotional response."

-- Beth Pite

"Walk In The Park - Madrid" - pastel painting - by Beth Pite

Beth's ability to enhance reality by creating vibrant energy using colors of the spectrum gives the viewer a jolt of electricity. The current connects creating a realm where you become absorbed into a particular time and space. This energy can be felt throughout your inner being down to your fingertips, your nerve endings begin to tingle, becoming alive.

"Parisian Street" - pastel painting - by Beth Pite

Do you realize at times when you look at a tree, or look at others walking, or looking at a building it all becomes brighter in color, the vibrance of each shade and tint seems to permeate through the solidness of the subjects? You can even see waves emit from each subject, similar to the waves of heat you see rising off of a road on a hot summer day, this is energy. You can even feel it as you pass, your body absorbing it. Beth captures that. She captures it, the energy, in each pastel she uses as she paints. She has that uncanny ability to harness the energy to bring each painting to life hoping that each person who views her work will be able to feel it.

The best way to explain it is to envision Beth capturing electricity through a kite, kite string and a key in a jar....Now, put pastels in her hand, a canvas in front of her and watch the electricity, the energy connect between her and her palette, her canvas. Beth is that conduit between what some cannot see and helps all to see the energy "matter" in the world around us.

Each pastel painting depicts her ability. Her subject "matter" is electricity...her subject "matter" is the energy...her subject "matter" is more than scientific matter...her subject "matter" becomes emotional...her subject "matter" becomes the spiritual side of the science of "matter."

To be able to feel that current of electricity, to see the waves of energy emit from each painting, to enjoy the color and beauty of each subject "matter" you must visit SoBoBo. Beth Pite, April's Artist, will be exhibiting her pastel paintings from April 1st to April 30th. Beth's Opening Reception is Thursday, April 12th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

"Walk In The Park, Paris" - pastel painting - by Beth Pite

Yes, it coincides with Walnut Beach Art Stroll that begins at 6:00 pm at Firehouse Gallery. Firehouse Gallery is exhibiting "Wings, Wheels and Rudders" truly an enhanced reality that will take us on a walk to remember!