Artist Statement:
I was born in California but spent most of my childhood right in the middle of what my family calls “Old Florida”. My first appreciation for art was self taught, found in the rows of kitsch for sale at my aunt’s roadside fruit stand. Silver Springs was my playground; I practiced underwater ballet and dreamed one day I would become a Weekie Wachee mermaid. Today, while lost in art, I can still float. Read More...
Years spent on a farm in Quincy cultivated dragon’s blood red and travels to Belize brought out the bright yellows. A life full of stories weaves through my work.
For the past 30 years, I have worked from my studio home on the Gulf coast of Florida, a place of boundless inspiration. Here, I delight in tiny marine life and stand in awe of infinite sky.
Art is intuitive and exhilarating; it is good for my soul. I hope by sharing it, the viewer will get a spark from it, too, and enjoy the visit to this website.
~ Beth Appleton
Commentary
In 1989 I was fortunate enough to witness this creative artist begin assembling her first cut paper works and marveled as she developed an art form uniquely her own. For over 25 years, Appleton’s works have been shaped by life on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. New works emerge ever more complex in dimension and abstraction. The scope of her work has grown Read More...
over time to include digital micro-assemblages, microscopy, and video production. Bridging the gap between art and science, she is collaborating with microscopists, ecologists, marine biologists and astronomers. With all these new pursuits, one constant remains: her kinetic works are inspiring and magnetic. When this artist is fascinated by the micro life found in a drop of water, her art welcomes us inside her imagination. When mesmerized by the night sky, she carries us to a world we only thought we knew.
–David Harbaugh
Biography:
Beth Appleton (b. 1949, USA) bethappleton@me.com
1971: Graduated Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Read More...
1979 – 1988: Employed as a layout and design artist;
figure study course work continued.1989: Founded “Art in Gadsden” precursor to the current Gadsden Arts Center, Quincy, Florida, renown for excellence in programming, management and impact in the community. Created the first cut paper assemblages.
1991 – present: Prolific and unique paper works are collected internationally enabling a lifelong commitment to community and education through the arts. This rich career is continually supported by local and regional art communities as well as national art centers and museums.
Drawing: “Mask”, 1985, B. Appleton.
Recent exhibitions include:
•2016 Guest speaker and Exhibition, Department of Science, Georgia State University. Selected Works Exhibition, Infinitesimal to the Infinite: Robert Simmons – Clay Turner – Beth Appleton, Petit Science Center, Fusion Gallery, Atlanta, GA, Artist Presentation: Art + Science: Creative Exploration. Read More...
•2015-16 Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR), The Florida DEP Coastal Office Nature Center, Eastpoint, FL. Solo Exhibition: Art+Science: Works on Exhibit by Beth Appleton. Appleton presents a multi-media exhibition which includes visual art, artist talks, exhibition book and two video productions. More about the ANERR exhibition…
•2014 Cornell Museum Of Art and American Culture, Delray Beach Center for the Arts, FL, From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Paper As Art. This exhibit showcases a collection of pieces created by artists known for their skill
in transforming paper into extraordinary works of art. More about the Cornell Museum exhibition…
•2013 Apalachicola Museum of Art, Florida: Solo Exhibition, Works on Exhibit: Beth Appleton. This community spirited exhibition focuses on the local marine environments providing educational tours, lectures, and student participation. Artist led student tours highlight the exhibition. More about the AMOA exhibition…
•2012 Gadsden Arts Center and Museum, Quincy, Florida:
Inside Out: Beth Appleton Assemblage and Deborah LaGrasse Sculpture. Other invitationals include: Celebration 2000: Gadsden Art Center Inaugural Exhibition Presents the Watercolor/Cut Paper Assemblages of Beth Appleton and numerous Art in Gadsden exhibitions. More about GAC exhibitions…
Selected public permanent collections include:
•Palm Healthcare Foundation, West Palm Beach, Florida
•Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida
•Walt Disney Corporation, Orlando, Florida Read More...
•Carnegie Institution, San Francisco, California
•John Derry, Fractal Design Corp., California
•Visual Arts Center of NW Florida, Panama City, Florida
•Tallahassee Regional Airport, Florida
•Orlando Aviation Authority, Florida
•Lake Buena Vista Palace Hotel, Orlando, Florida
•SeaWorld of Florida, Orlando, Florida
•Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Key West, Florida
•City of Tallahassee, Florida
•Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa, Florida
•W.T. DeGroot Library, Palm Bay, Florida
Selected Honors and Awards:
Between the years 1988 and 2004, Appleton traveled throughout the United States participating Read More...
Awards from national competitions include:
The Florida Museum for Women Artists in Deland, the Gadsden Arts Center in Quincy, Florida, LeMoyne Art Foundation in Tallahassee, Florida State University, Florida A & M University, the North Florida Visual Art Center, the Tallahassee/Leon Co. Cultural Resources Commission, the City of Tallahassee, Florida, the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Alabama, the Tampa Museum of Art, the University of Wisconsin, and nationwide American Craft Council exhibitions and more.
Individual and celebrity collections are international.