Colorful visions of African wildlife, animal motifs, and some skull art, too, are coming to Carson City thanks to Kortney Beth.
Beth, Carson City Art Gallery’s next artist of the month, is a Northern Nevadan whose creativity, she said, was developed while growing up in an artistic family.
“Influenced at an early age by the beauty and serene expansive nature of the high desert and Sierras, she is able to see past the barren landscape and find the beauty of a desolate object that nature has passed over transforming it into a piece of beauty,” said a press release from the gallery.
Beth’s body of work includes paintings and mixed media sculpture, many of which center on wild plant and animal life.
Some of her multimedia projects repurpose old objects to create an entirely new piece of art. One sculpture, titled “The Subject,” features a goat skull swathed in electronic parts from a computer monitor and DVD player. The artist said the piece is a statement on “becoming more aware of how much animal testing goes on around the world.”
Even with a diverse body of work, Beth’s creative process is firmly rooted in her imagination.
“When creating a piece of art, everything around me seems to vanish. I come to an imaginative state of mind to where I am in a dream, a new world that needs to be discovered,” Beth said. “When I form many different objects and shapes, my imagination wanders throughout the nonexistent world where there are endless possibilities. I am able to create using any medium or material that is given to me, and I am reminded that anything is possible.”
Beth’s work will be displayed through February. To meet her, stop by the gallery, 110 S. Curry St., from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, when a reception will offer light refreshments and plenty of art.
For information about the artist, go to http://kortneybethart.com. The gallery is on Facebook, and it also can be reached at 775-313-8628.