"American artist Beth Winfield strives to create poetic landscapes with depth and softness. She seeks scenes with mystical light and atmosphere and then captures these magical moments through brushwork and the juxtaposition of color and value”  [American Art Magazine}.  She has had a love of art since her youth.

Beth grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. With her parents both being teachers,  she was able to spend every summer camping and enjoying the great wilderness hiking and fishing.  Both of her grandparents had farms where she spent a lot of time as a child playing outdoors.   She has many fond memories of walking alone through the tall grasses, visiting the pond, farming strawberries, and chasing  sheep. The beauty of the earth with light bouncing off of its surface left her spellbound even as a young child. 

She always loved to draw and would take great offense if someone didn’t like her drawing. Even at the young age of 5 that was important to her.  Her mother loved art and would take her to the art museum as a special treat. Beth would save her allowance just to buy an art poster for her room. She covered  her walls with Monet, Degas, Cassatt, Hopper,  Hassam, and post impressionist Vincent Van Gogh…she particularly liked Van Gogh.  When Beth was in fourth grade, her mother took her to see a show of Picasso.  There she realized that drawings and art in general didn’t need perfection to be visually pleasing to the eye.  She began sneaking into her fourth grade classroom to cover the multiple chalkboard doors with pastel drawings of Picasso like images. When the teacher asked who did them, being a very shy child,  Beth did not admit it was her. Still, the teacher left them up and asked everyone not to touch them.  Everyday, she would sneak back in and paint on the boards and while painting on the last chalkboard, the teacher walked in with an audience.  He had called her mother , the Principal, and the local news station.  After that attention, her mother finally agreed to get her painting lessons. Those lessons started Beth’s love affair with oil paints. 

Even though she wanted to go study art, her parents insisted that she seek a more revenue producing career.  After a degree in Sociology and several years of studies pursuing advanced Biology,  Beth settled on working as an X-ray technologist working in the Angiogram Suite at the hospital.  She faux painted dressers and walls and liked to rehab old victorian houses.  She took water-color classes and drawing classes when she could,  even after meeting her husband and raising three children.  When she had a horse accident and couldn’t walk for a spell, her husband asked what he could bring her and she said oil paints. This reawakened her dream of being a painter. 

Since then Beth has been taking classes for drawing and painting the figure.  She likes to continually challenge herself by painting different subject matter including landscapes, still lifes, and figures.  She has studied with some of the nation's top oil painters and considers her ongoing journey as an artist as one of the most all-encompassing joys of her life.  She takes several workshops a year from very talented artists around the globe.  She has taken from artists such as Utah painter Kathryn Stats,  Scott Christensen, Karl Dempfwolf, Robert Liberace,  Suchitra Bolhse, Randall Sexton, Terry Miura, , Laura Robb, Derek Penix, Craig Nelson, Ray Roberts, and Sherrie McGraw and David Leffel at the Fetchin Museum.  She looks for a teacher who can push her in the direction she needs be it values, edges, brushstrokes, detail, or color.  She is a  member of Oil Painters of America, California Art Club, American Women Artists and the American Impressionists Society.  

When asked about what drives her, Beth says,

“I feel I am always being pushed by an overwhelming desire to create and express myself with paint and it actually physically hurts sometimes if I cannot accomplish that. There are so many things I try to express and capture in my artwork- a certain softness of light, bold color, or dynamic patterns for instance.  I love the  fleeting light as it dances across the earths’ surface.   Painting at  different times of the day dynamically changes a scene and then add to it  varying weather and circumstances and you've got thousands of opportunities to paint from.    I also enjoy telling stories with paintings or inventing a landscape as I play with different values and shapes.  For me, nature and the outdoors hold many memories, which is most likely why I feel a very strong connection to working outside.  When viewing my paintings, I would like others to feel the warmth and excitement that I feel from a particular scene.   I hope that they actually feel as if they can step into the moment I have tried to capture.”

Recently a client told Beth Winfield that her paintings have this unique position of being between impressionism and realism giving into a more painterly style. And, that is exactly how she wants to express herself with her paintings.  Beth paints the  majority of her artwork plein air on a smaller linen canvas.  She then takes those paintings inside to create larger studio works from what she was able to capture while outdoors. In the studio,  she is able to add more dimension with color and brushstrokes,  give more attention to the edges of things,  adding hard edges and soft edges where they need be. Beth has won many awards for her paintings; Merit Awards,  Judges Choice, Peoples Choice, Honorable Mentions, Honorable Mention Award October 2017 CPAP International Show in Yosemite, California, and most recently Judges Award for Rocks and Stones in the PAPNM Jemez Show April 2019.

Beth loves to be creative in the kitchen, is an avid biker, and loves hiking to remote locations.  She is a wanderer at heart and loves to travel around the world  for painting from those magical trips.   Passionate about  painting, and also photography, the people close to her know that she is seldom without a paint brush or her camera.  Her favorite inspirations are artists Van Gogh, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Dewing, Wolf Kahn,  John Henry Twachtman,  Sorolla, Wm. Merrit Chase, Gustave Caillebotte,  Richard Smidt, Robert Liberace,  David Leffel,  Sherry McGraw, and Laura Robb.   Beth feels very fortunate to live part time in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband David and three dogs.

AWARDS:

Artist Choice Award Frank Bette August 2020

Third Place Award PAPNM Plein Air Fiesta Paint Out and Exhibition, Sorrel Sky Gallery March 2020

Judges Award PAPNM Jemez Show 2019

Third Place Tahoe Art Center Plein Air Event June, 2018

Honorable Mention CPAP International Show Yosemite CA September 2017

Jurors Choice Award- Markleville Paintout 2014
Honorable Mention- Effie Yeaw Juried Competition and Show 2012
Jurors Choice Award -Ironstone Winery "Spring Obsession Show" Judges from San Francisco Art Academy
3rd Place Effie Yeaw Competition Juried Show-2011
People's Choice Award Briggs Co.-2010
3rd Place Sunflower Competition Juried Show  Yolo Arts Council-2011                                                           

SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS:

Frank Bette Virtual Plein Air Event Aug 2020

Sorell Gallery,Santa Fe,NM, March 2020

Jemez Gallery, Jemez N.M., April 2019

Elk Grove Fine Arts, December 2019

Benicia, CA Aug 2019

Frank Bette Alameda, CA Aug 2019

Tahoe Plein Air Event 2019

Jemez PAPNM Show, April 2019

Holiday Show MACC December 2018

Tahoe Plein Air Event 2018

Mistlin Gallery August 2017

Tahoe Plein Air June 2017
Epperson GalleryPlein Air 2016
"Seven Artists to Watch" show at Epperson Gallery, Valona CA Feb-April 2014
Great California Paintout 9-30-13
California Landscape Exhibition and Paintout-Natsoulas Gallery-8/1/13-9/30/13
Frank Bette Plein Air Event, Alameda, CA 7/29/13-8/3/13
Poets Gallery-Group Show- Plein Air Landscapes-6/26/13-9/1/13
Solo Show- "California Diversity"-Landscapes by Beth Winfield-Natsoulas Gallery-5/29/13-7/27/13
Crocker Art Museum Juried Art Gala Auction 6/1/13
Tour de Cluck-Featured Artist in Sacramento Bee Article-5/25/13
Figures in Landscape-Group Show Gallery 625 4/5/13-5/5/13
Davis Art Studio Tour 4/13/13-4/14/13
Small Works Show Tubec Gallery Tubec AZ  12/1/12
Solo Show Berryessa Gap Wine Room and Gallery- on going
Solo Show-"Winfield Artworks"- Remax Gallery 8/1/12-9/4-12
Splash Art Exhibit -Roseville Chamber of Commerce-September 8th 2012
Pour for Prevention -Fundraiser for Prevention Against Child Abuse-August 29th 2012
Landscape Show Natsoulas Gallery-August-September 2012-Artwork featured in Sacramento Bee
Solo Show-Paintings of Eastern Sierras- Union Gallery 2012-Feature article in Sacramento Bee
Alameda Plein Air Show July 29- August 4th 2012
Crockett Plein Air Event July 22-29th 2012
Markleeville Plein Air Show June-July 2012
Winters Plein Air Show May-June 2012
Effie Yeaw Juried Show Fundraiser Auction 2012 May
Solo Show "California Landscapes" Capital Artworks Feb-March 2012
"Spring Obsession"-Juried entry show- Murphys CA, March-April 2012
Bark Show" John Natsoulas Gallery February 2012
Solo Show "Magical Landscapes and Portraits" Davis Community Gallery November-January 2012
Bucks for Ducks Art Auction and Show November 2011
Valona Paintout October 2011
East Sacramento Capital Paint Out for Clunie Center October 2011
Pence Gallery Art Show and Auction September 2011
Solo Show Lattitudes Auburn Art Walk August- September 2011
Landscape Exhibition and Paintout John Natsoulas Gallery August-September 2011
S12 Studio Exhibit 2011
Blue Line Gallery "Just Beachy Show" June 2011
"Sunflower Show " Juried Show by Yolo County Art Council- 3rd Place
Effie Yeaw Live Auction - Participant May 2011
"Where the Wild Things Are" Sacramento Fine Art Center- Juried Show-Third Place Award
Kennedy Gallery 'Small Works Show" 25 California Landscapes in 25 days
"Los Gatos Plein Air Show" June 2011
Pence gallery Exhibit May and June 2011
Pence Garden Tour Paint out May 2011
Putah Creek Winery Solo Show 2011
"Winter's Plein Air Show "March 2011
Blue Line Gallery "Beautiful Outdoors Show" February 2011
Studio K- Still Life and Figure Show February 2011?Pence Gallery Show January 2011
Davis Art Center "Plein Air Show" Yolo Co. January 2011
Valona Paintout Crockett CA, October 16-21, 2010
Solo show - Putah Creek Winery, October 16, 2010
"Create a Cure " show at Capital Gallery, October 2010
Solo show at Synapse Winery,  Placerville, CA
Tahoe Arts Plein Air Show, Truckee, CA, September 2010
Friends Exhibit -Artery Gallery, Davis CA   May 2010
Solo Show-Art About Davis-Avid Reader Bookstore-April thru May 2010
Winters Plein Air Show 2010, April 2010
Crockett CA Plein Air Show, October 2009
Tahoe Plein Air Show, September 2009
Plein Air Show- "Berryessa Gap Winery" November 2008
"Winters Harvest Festival" Paintout October 2008-Artist featured in Sacramento Bee
50-50 Show 20th Street Gallery Feb 2008
“Winters Paint Out” Briggs Art Gallery April 2008
Sacramento Fine Arts Center-Juried Artist Show March 2008
“Women in Art Celebration” Patris Gallery January 2008
“Community Hang-Up” Pence Gallery November 2007
“Plein Air Show” Landgrove Inn, Landgrove, Vermont September 2007
“Crockett Paint Out” Crockett, California August 2007