Beth Munro
Beth Munro’s paintings, whether composed of still life, landscape, or abstract forms, focus on pattern, color and texture. Munro is inspired by everything from the Impressionist works of Paul Cézanne and Abstract paintings of Willem de Kooning to the Fauvist paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse, and historical quilts made by the women of Gee’s Bend in Alabama. Composed of many materials such as tissue paper and woodblock prints, her paintings appear cut and layered together.
While Munro is inspired by art history as well as her surroundings, she is constantly in search of new ways to create. This combination of inspiration and innovation give her work a feeling of both familiarity and discovery. When she began her artistic journey, her focus was mainly on creating still life artworks. Although she does continue to paint in that style, her artworks have become gradually more abstract while holding on to certain formal elements of her original style. The same black and white checker-pattern that once lined the edges of dishes in a still life have now grown to defined, abstracted shapes.
Munro’s palette is unique to her work and acts as a common thread as the subject matter evolves. The interaction of color, pattern, texture and form creates a harmonious rhythm.
