Judi Betts - Cowboy Tales

Watercolor painting by Judi Betts.

Artist Statement: As a child I had a horse and that began my passion for farm animals. I’ve always been thrilled by going to rodeos. In this painting I designed a configuration of humans and animals. The background shapes and colors enhance the neutral colors of the clothing. To make the picture plane tilt there are dominant cool colors in the upper right to lower left, and dramatic warm in the upper left to lower right. Instead of painting the fence, I made a design using the spaces between the boards. Those colors were used to animate the cowboys. There is a warm, friendly, relaxed feeling throughout the composition. We can almost hear their conversation.

My paintings are meant to illuminate life and stimulate discussion and thought about subjects and scenes found every day. I try to give animation to my subjects and entertain the viewer. I’m a happy person attuned to harmony. I want my viewers gladdened and awakened - awakened to see something old or new in a different way. I enjoy entertaining my audience as I’m entertained by life. I enjoy taking ordinary, familiar scenes and developing them into dramatic, simplified presentations by utilizing light, abstract configurations, and invented color. I’m pleased that my work has been described as watercolors that ‘sparkle’!