Artist Gallery Archives

December Featured Artist

Betty Ann Bembry

I was born Betty Ann Washington, on a stormy day in November. My family moved from Newark, N.J. to a small town called Elwood, as a result of a fire that burned down my family’s home. While my parents were in the process of building their new home I made my entrance into the world, becoming one of eight children.

I attended Mullica Twp. Elementary School and Oakcrest High School. I discovered the love for art at the age of nine by watching my older brother draw pictures of girls from magazines. I began by drawing pictures of scenes and of people I knew. When I was about twelve years old, I won an art contest that I entered through a magazine. I was very happy.  I felt that I had won money. I became a little discouraged when my parents were told that they had to pay for me to have lessons at home. Due to the pressure of knowing that my parents had to pay for lessons, I stopped drawing for a while. When I went to high school I took an art class. In this art class I had to read about art and draw fruit and things that I had drawn when I was very young. All I wanted to do was learn how to paint and give my art more color. It was like asking a three year old to revert back to crawling. I lost interest in art yet again.

I got married when I was seventeen and had eight children; I lost one to crib death and one in a fire. In between having children and working I started working on my art again but only for friends and family. I learned how to put color into my work by trial and error. I began working with water colors then oil paint. I then tried pastels and fell in love with them because I enjoy working with my hands and blending in all the different colors. In my work I try to use bright colors on my inside and outside scenery down to the clothing that my characters are wearing. I also show different emotions in my drawings like love, peace, harmony, humor and sometimes sadness. I want the viewer to feel drawn in and very much a part of the picture.