Who is Beth Evans?
Beth M Evans began doing batik in 1989 in Cuchara, Colorado. She operated the ‘Wild Iris’ gift shop and gallery where she sold her paintings and original hand painted clothing. Realizing an interest in working on cloth she began learning about dyeing. After recalling doing batik in a high school art class, she melted some candles and began experimenting. It was love at first dip and soon she was using the batik medium to create representational batik “paintings”.
Inspired by nature, travel, and intriguing color and form, wherever it is found, her subjects are varied. She finds the batik process an endless challenge and still delights in the image gradually appearing on the cloth with each successive waxing and dyeing. Currently she is working on a pointillist technique in her paintings, studying the color theory attached to the technique and adapting it for the batik medium.
Beth has exhibited in the US. and abroad, including the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center-Pueblo, CO., the Aspen Arts Center-CO., the Foothills Arts Center-Golden CO., Gallerie Smend- Koln, Germany, The Beacon- Hastings UK., The Business of Art Center- Colorado Springs, the AR Mitchell Museum, Trinidad, CO., and the Jezebel Gallery- Madrid NM.
She has taught batik at The Bemis School of Arts, Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, The Beacon, Hastings UK., Gallerie Smend, Germany, and with the Spanish Peaks Arts Council and Trinidad Arts Council in Colorado. She has taught batik to children at the Colorado Academy- Denver, CO., the La Veta Children's Art Workshop and the La Veta School of the Arts. Many students come to study privately at her La Veta, Colorado studio.
Originally from Maryland and a Colorado resident since 1987, she lived and worked in Northern India for 4 years and in the UK. With her husband, batik artist Jonathan S. Evans, she has done volunteer batik workshops with women living in poverty in order to give them skills to create income. They helped found the Haitian Batik Project and worked with Peace Mexico and Desert Mothers in Mexico. Since 2012 she and Jonathan have resided in La Veta, Colorado and operated the Shalawalla Gallery, which features their batik work and batik classes at their studio on the premises.
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