Biography:
Statement regarding the plant identification drawings.

Playing in the woods surrounded by native plants of the Piedmont of North Carolina fueled my intrigue with plant details and differences. 

The botanical drawings shown escaped the trash can after the publisher used white out on each original. It has taken 30 years to be comfortable showing these drawings of birds and plants native to the Piedmont of the east coast and North Carolina. A few have been lost. The beauty of the drawings remains. The detail and botanical accuracy is used to identify plants in the wild along with the book description. Now in its second printing with a new publisher, University of North Carolina Press at Chapel Hill, Field Guide to the Piedmont, was written by Michael A. Godfrey.

Making Barbie doll gowns and ironing church vestments with her grandmother in Mt. Airy, NC, Betsy started down the path of fashion obsession. She earned her BFA in painting as a non-traditional student at Winthrop. Painting and graphic design made up the formative years of her art career. Painting 1950s cocktail dresses housing transparent figures and designing for ad agencies, non-profits and small business have kept her busy until recently. Her work now encompasses additional media of clay and fabric to explore the iconic references to church and crown. Creating two-dimensional crown imagery, using seed beads, pearls, Austrian crystals, antique doilies and found objects, is her latest focus, incorporating religious cultural icons and colors into the bead work. Botanical illustration and photography, and teaching color theory are secondary loves.

Her art is represented by Artworks on Main in Mooresville, NC, and was most recently shown in Carolinas Got Art Exhibition and as featured artist at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library. She works in a home studio in Charlotte, NC.

Artist statement

Intrigued by saints, monarchs, grandmothers, madonnas and pop culture icons, I am inspired by their garments and affected by the presence and power visually evoked. Surface decor on the figure, including texture and color, creates the fashion protecting these deities. Are we attracted or repelled by the presence of the decoration on the figure? Utilizing the components of the fashion, color, texture and design, I create crowns and textural objects using textiles, jewels, beads, pearls and clay.

Crowns are one aspect of protective, yet inviting armor. Antique doilies and fabric provide a starting point for the crown designs in the beaded series. Inspired by cultural differences in fashion, especially religious ceremonial dress, I design the crowns with regard to cultural icons and color preferences. The designs are transferred to the textile background with a soap chard and then the beading starts from the middle and moves outward. Applying the beads, pearls, crystals and found objects becomes a meditation, following my intuition while honoring the original design.

Nature is a recurrent theme in the crowns and drawings. Botanical specimens provide a starting point for drawing and painting. I study details and draw to create realistic botanical illustrations. Getting to know the essence of the plant in this way allows exploration with charcoal and paint on top of the original drawing, creating auras and abstractions of the plant. Collage techniques help create interest as pieces of the original are rearranged into the final placement. My goal is to convey a living, growing image of the specimen.