BRAD BETTS
Artist Biography
Brad Betts has been an artist for over 19 years and has sold his coastal seascapes and maritime paintings internationally. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maine and is a juried Artist Member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA).
Brad has served on the Board of Directors for the Fiddlehead Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization that promotes art in the Southern Maine community. A plein air painting enthusiast, Brad initiated an “Outdoor Studio” clinic through Fiddleheads, bringing together artists of all skill levels and mediums. Currently, Brad teaches plein air painting workshops through the River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta and also offers private lessons. He remains an active member of the local community, as a regular art tutor for the public school system and youth organizations.
Brad’s paintings have appeared in solo and group shows throughout New England, including the Mystic Seaport Gallery’s acclaimed “International Marine Art Exhibition” for the past five years. In 2006, Brad received the “Maritime Gallery Yachting Award” at this exhibition and in 2008, was recognized as one of “Four Distinguished Artists” at the Mystic Seaport Gallery.
Brad grew up in Sarasota Florida, sailing and fishing the Gulf coast waters. In 2007, Brad and his wife Danielle made the decision to move to East Boothbay Maine, the beautiful seaside village famous for boat building. Living in an area with a rich maritime history and active working harbor offers Brad the opportunity to connect daily with classic scenes that most inspire him.
Brad has achieved his mastery of maritime painting through a blend of both technical discipline in the studio and a focused effort to retain a natural and inspired style. He achieves this through outdoor painting, “When you paint outside, the light and atmosphere change constantly. This forces you to make quick decisions and rely completely on practiced techniques and natural instincts. In these moments, you connect most with yourself as an artist and the energy that comes from within.”
Brad’s paintings reflect his appreciation of the sea. His work is filled with movement: schooners under full sail battle through wind-driven seas; and Friendship sloops glide through the calm waters of Maine’s inlets. The classic Betts oil is a summer day in Maine—blue skies, billowing sails, and shimmering seas.
Brad Betts, P.O. Box 16, East Boothbay, Maine 04544 207.633.1114 207.318.3282
Website: www.downeastgallery.com Blog: www.downeastgallery.blogspot.com
BRAD BETTS
Exhibitions & Shows
CURRENT GALLERY LISTING:
v Art of the Sea Gallery, So. Thomaston, ME
v Banks Gallery, Portsmouth, NH
v Blue Hill Bay Gallery, Blue Hill, ME
v Fore Street Gallery, Portland, ME
v Gallery One, Mentor, OH
v Gleason Fine Art, Boothbay Harbor, ME
v Greenwich Workshop Gallery, Fairfield, CT
v Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
JURIED EXHIBITIONS:
2010 Copley Society of Art, "Atlantic and Beyond" Judges John Stobart and J.Russell Jinishian
2010 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "31st Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2010 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Modern Marine Masters" Exhibition, Mystic, CT
2009 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "30th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2009 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Modern Marine Masters" Exhibition, Mystic, CT
2008 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "29th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2008 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Modern Marine Masters" Exhibition, Mystic, CT
2008 Lyme Art Association, "The New England Landscape", Old Lyme, CT
2007 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "28th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2007 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Four Distinguished Artists Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2007 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Modern Marine Masters" Exhibition, Mystic, CT
2007 Art of the Sea Gallery, "Best of the Best" Exhibition, So.Thomaston ME
2007 Lyme Art Association, "The New England Landscape", Old Lyme, CT
2006 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "27th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2006 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "Modern Marine Masters" Exhibition, Mystic, CT
2006 Lyme Art Association, "The New England Landscape", Old Lyme, CT
2005 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "26th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
2004 Art of the Sea Gallery, "Waterways, Mixed Media: Old Favorites and New Faces" Exhibition, So.Thomaston ME
2004 Mystic Seaport Gallery, "25th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic, CT
GALLERY SHOWS:
2010 Gleason Fine Arts "Plein Air Maine" Mitch Billis, Brad Betts and Bjorn Runquist
2009 Gleason Fine Art “Blue Skies, Blue Waters” Show, Boothbay Harbor, ME
2009 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters”, So. Thomaston, ME
2008 Gleason Fine Art “Sea/ Shells” Show, Boothbay Harbor, ME
2008 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters”, So. Thomaston, ME
2008 Gallery One, "Masterworks in Miniature", OH
2007 Gleason Fine Art, Boothbay Harbor, ME
2007 Banks Gallery, "Island Light II, Paintings of Monhegan Island", Portsmouth, NH
2007 Greenwich Workshop Gallery, "Small Works, Annual Original Miniature Show", Fairfield, CT
2007 Gallery One, "Masterworks in Miniature", OH
2007 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters”, So. Thomaston, ME
2007 Banks Gallery, "Visions of Granite II, Paintings of New Hampshire White Mountains", Portsmouth, NH
2006 Art of the Sea Gallery, "The Luminists: From the Maine Coast to the French Countryside", Two-Man Show featuring Donald Demers & Brad Betts, So. Thomaston, ME
2006 Atelier Gallery, "Maritime Paintings by Brad Betts", Solo Show, Sarasota, FL
2006 Gallery One, "Masterworks in Miniature", OH
2006 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters”, So. Thomaston, ME
2005 Marion Art Center, Artist Members of the American Society of Marine Artists, "North East Invitational Marine Art Show", Marion, MA
2005 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters, So. Thomaston, ME
2005 Gallery One, "Masterworks in Miniature", OH
2004 Art of the Sea Gallery, "A Gathering of Marine Masters, So. Thomaston, ME
PUBLICATIONS:
American Art Collector, August 2009
Brad Betts' solo show at the Gleason Fine Art Gallery is featured in an article titled "Brad Betts: Down the Peninsula".
2010 Boothbay Region Landtrust
Preserve T-Shirts by Brad Betts, Donald Demers, Ron Parry, and Jim Taliana to support the BRLT
Northeast Boating Magazine, Brad was featured in the January 2008 Issue titled "Local Colors...Meet Four of the Northeast's Top Maritime Painters"
Book "Island Light" 2008 featuring Brad’s painting "Summer on Monhegan"
AWARDS:
2006 Mystic Seaport Maritime Gallery Yachting Award, "Celebrating the singular pleasures of going to sea, the judges recognize his painting "White on Blue" as the work that best captures the beauty and excitement of the "sport of kings" in all its many forms", 27th Annual International Marine Art Exhibition", Mystic Seaport Gallery, Mystic, CT