Ambassador of the Week: Beth Verheyden

By
Kelly Kane
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Meet Beth Verheyden, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!

“1946”: This painting is of a 1946 Navion airplane owned by my brother-in-law. I took the photo by laying on the ground underneath the plane while it was parked. I painted it to look like the plane was ready for take-off, so I added the movement of the propeller. I want the viewer to feel the plane coming toward you; and to feel the rush of the wind created by the propeller!

Believing that a painting should reflect emotion and movement, Beth tries to convey a sense that the viewer is taking part in something that’s happening at the moment — allmost like you’re walking into the painting and are taking part in it. You find yourself getting caught up in the feel of the wind, the thump of the dancer’s foot, or the sounds of the musician.

Beth’s paintings have won numerous awards at the state, national and international levels, including Best of Show at Northwest Watercolor Society’s Waterworks Exhibit 2013. They hang in personal and corporate collections around the United States, as well as Maryhill Museum in Washington. She is a Signature Member of Northwest Watercolor Society, an associate member of National Watercolor Society and Western Federation of Watercolor Societies.

“Gratefully I Stand”: I painted our flag in a vertical format to represent strength, and also with movement so that the viewer might feel the wind whipping the flag. Within the stars are figures of military men and women, representing three wartime eras: Civil War, Vietnam War, and current day. This painting represents the gratitude I feel toward our military men and women, who’ve given more than I can give to ensure my freedoms. I stand gratefully when I hear our national anthem.

Beth is an active member of Watercolor Society of Oregon, currently serving as Past President. She also serves on the Board of Mt. Hood Art Online. Her paintings “Chasing Vista” and 1946 are featured in North Light Publishing’s “Splash 17 and 21, The Best of Watercolor”.

A newspaper reporter covering one of Beth’s watercolor workshops, described her this way, “Watching Beth paint is like watching ballet. With effortless strokes honed by years of experience and heaps of talent, a scene appears on paper that evokes the emotion, colors, and atmosphere of the landscape.”

Beth has been teaching watercolor in her Boring, Oregon studio for the past 25 years, and teaches workshops around the state of Oregon regularly. If asked what she enjoys the most, she’ll always say, “successfully capturing the emotion of my subject. Not what it looks like; what it feels like.”

“Dog-Fetti”: The first time I painted “Dog-Fetti,” I painted it like the photo, with a dark background and splashing water. It left me feeling empty because I didn’t capture the energy and emotion of the moment. So I re-painted it with a dominantly light background and bright, colorful and energetic colors. Much better! The light dominance with primary and secondary “splashes” of color gave life and excitement to the painting!

Past President: Watercolor Society of Oregon
Signature Membership: Northwest Watercolor Society
Associate Memberships: National Watercolor Society
Western Federation of Watercolor Societies
Professional Membership: Watercolor Society of Oregon
Publications: Splash 17, North Light Publishing
Splash 21, North Light Publishing


Previous articleBest in the West
Next articleAmbassador of the Week: Lynda Feierabend
Kelly Kane
Kelly Kane
PleinAir Magazine and American Watercolor Weekly Editor-in-Chief With more than 20 years experience in art publishing, Kelly Kane has served previously as Editor-in-Chief of Watercolor Artist magazine and Content Director for The Artist’s Magazine, Drawing, Acrylic Artist, and Pastel Journal. She has interviewed many of the preeminent artists of our time and written numerous articles about painting, drawing, art education and art history. She is now the Editor-in-Chief of PleinAir Magazine and the American Watercolor Weekly newsletter. Click here to send her an email.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Hey Beth, congratulations on this article and about ‘1946’, a fantastic and dynamic airplane painting! Now I know where your love for planes comes from! This refresh fond memories of meeting you at the WSO conference and workshop! All the very best!

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