From staff reports
Beaufort Art Association Gallery will showcase the art of Beth Bronnum Stern in its upcoming featured artist series. Her show, “Reflections, opened on July 1 and runs through August 30.
Stern’s medium of choice is oil on canvas. The subject matter includes landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, still life, and dog portraits.
Stern’s work from the past 40 years has evolved from contemporary still life, which combined the conventional subject of still life with non-traditional compositions. Painting unusual combinations of objects from several angles within the same painting, she has juxtaposed compositions with vivid, heavily textured fields, in the form of diptychs and triptychs.
Although today, Stern leans towards more traditional compositions, her focus on light, high contrast, and reflection has remained. Her palette has always been a mix of vibrant colors.
Since the reflection of light through glass and water continues to be a subject of many of her paintings, Stern has titled her exhibit “Reflections.” Stern’s style of oil painting reflects more of a personal vision and mood, rather than being a solely realistic interpretation. She hopes viewers will experience feelings of closeness to nature, scenery, and images – more than just viewing a painting.
Since living in the Lowcountry, light, shadows, gorgeous colors, and contrasts in the water and foliage have been the vision for her paintings. She finds the glass-like quality of still water and mirror-images of a lush summer landscape reflections to be motivational, and the vibrancy of the Lowcountry colors, from sunrise to sunset, create the inspiration for her intense color palette.
Stern, originally from Georgia, resides on Fripp Island. She earned her Masters of Art in Painting at New York University, and lived in Greenwich Village in New York City, working in her studio and exhibiting her work.
She later moved to Bedford, N.Y., where she and her husband raised three children. She has exhibited in many shows, has her work in public and private collections, and has done numerous commissions throughout the years. Her donations of art to various organizations have helped in their fundraising efforts through the years, as well.
Putting art aside, her hobbies are pretty simple — walking on the beach, spending time visiting her parents, children, and other family members, photography, cooking, taking care of her dogs, Pilates, and watching (but not playing) lots of pickleball.
Beaufort Art Association invites the public to Beth Stern’s opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, July 11.
