Bets Cole • Oregon • Studio Stories
Bets Cole
I think we are forever seeking ways to get back to what made us happy as a child. I found that I enjoyed being in the outdoors, tracking and observing nature. As I matured and became a painter, I found that the motifs and narratives of nature’s landscape offered me never ending painting ideas. The outdoors has become my workplace, my main studio.
I love to travel, or rather, to travel and paint. Artmaking is my way of exploring landscapes and places intimately, of studying the specific complexities of rock formations, landforms, vegetation-their structure, colors, and how the quality of the air and light them moment by moment. I like the feeling of a blank canvas and a new location. I no longer worry about making a finished painting. The time I spend behind my easel is about observation and the gathering of information.
With the narrative fresh in my mind, I often bring the en plein air paintings into my home studio to analyze and complete. My studio and home are located in Oregon on 80 acres of grass and forest land.
My most recent work has included animals. On a painting trip to Oregon’s High Desert area I found myself traveling very slowly behind a herd of cattle flanked by cowboys. One of the cowboys dropped back, I rolled down my window and he said... “Howdy Mam. If you would like to get home quicker you might want to take that cute little red truck and drive straight through as if you are one of the herd.” So, as I drove straight through the zigzagging cows, calves and mean old bulls, I took pictures and mental notes, knowing that this was going to be my next painting!
Please check out my most recent show THE LIVING LANDSCAPE: BETS COLE’S OREGON @karinclarkegallery.com
