Beth Galton
Walking to my studio each day, I pass a line of London Plane trees, mature, sturdy, beautiful. The first thing to catch my eye was the trunk’s striking camouflage pattern; various greens to browns that change with the weather. When wet, the greens become vibrant and when dry more subtle hues come through. On closer observation, I saw that the trunks had a sensuous quality. Soft, undulating movement as the tree rises upwards towards the sky.
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Selected Works
Biography
Beth Galton is a photo-based artist, with an educational background in the natural sciences and three decades of experience as a professional photographer in the editorial and commercial arena. These elements of her history are the lens through which she explores the world.
Collecting objects, allowing time to affect botanical matter, these are the tools Beth uses to construct still life portraits. The stories speak to the cycles of nature, our connection to aging and mortality, and the fragility and resilience of the human experience. As a lifelong learner, Beth uses current technology to help articulate her message. She loves to harness natural light to capture the compositions by using a large format camera and digital back.
Beth’s fine art and professional work have won numerous accolades and been exhibited extensively through out her career. Several of her personal projects have gained national and international regard.
Beth lives and works in New York City, where she is moved and inspired by the city every day.
Artist Statement
A full life is a layered thing. Our lives are built up, layer by layer around our core selves. Belief systems, memories, and opinions define who we are and how we see ourselves over a lifetime. But underneath these layers, what remains?
As an artist and a person finding themselves in the later part of life, it has become essential to reevaluate and prioritize how I move through the world. Peeling back layers, looking for that original sense of self has become an important part of my daily practice.
Walking to my studio each day, I pass a line of London Plane trees, mature, sturdy, beautiful. The first thing to catch my eye was the trunk’s striking camouflage pattern; various greens to browns that change with the weather. When wet, the greens become vibrant and when dry more subtle hues come through. On closer observation, I saw that the trunks had a sensuous quality. Soft, undulating movement as the tree rises upwards towards the sky.
Some areas are smooth like a child’s skin, then other areas are rougher, with age. Holes appear where limbs once were and are now home to birds and insects. There are names carved into the trunks, a memento of people who have sat beneath these trees. They have such history quietly exposed to the world as we rush by with barely a glance.
Recently I noticed with some shock, that they shed their bark in swaths. After some research I found that these trees are extremely efficient in removing pollutants from the air. Surprisingly, London Plane trees can grow between 13 and 24 inches in a year. This rapid growth is the cause of the peeling bark since it is unable to expand as quickly as the tree is growing. It’s also believed that the tree protects itself with growth by shedding any parasites that might invade.
I resonate with this fascinating process. How do I shed preconceived constructs to make room for growth? How does this practice expose my vulnerabilities and also protect me from harmful ideas that may set in?
In an effort to answer these questions, I turned to nature’s wisdom. This photographic series combines the cast-off bark of the London Plane trees, with manipulated images of myself, connecting my personal exploration with the natural world.