About Me

Bess Woodworth

I grew up in the countryside outside Philadelphia, PA. As a child I attended a Waldorf School. The curriculum revolved around art. Although I was unaware of this influence at the time, I began to develop my artistic talents twenty-five years after a successful career as a reading specialist.

I am an alumna of Boston University and the School of the Museum of Fine Art of Boston. I have been a volunteer in the education department of The Museum of Fine Arts of Boston touring groups of children through the museum.

I have studied with a number of nationally known artists. I have a solid art foundation. The themes of my paintings cover a variety of natural subjects; fog, birch trees, sea shells, plant life, reflections in water, mountains, atmosphere and buildings. I have also worked on a series of conceptual paintings about relationships. Most recently I have been experimenting with watercolor pouring on yupo paper. I have been working on a series of brightly colored acrylics on boards.

I show in my work an imaginative use of natural light that produces a luminescent quality. My compositions produce an emotional mood. I am exploring relationships- in nature and between people. I simplify shapes in order to make the gesture important. My strength is in color, form and value. In watercolor, feelings from my heart can be expressed through the brush and medium to the sensitive paper surface, transforming my expression into the most direct, honest and true vision of the subject. The result is the visual realization of my inner being that I hope communicates on a timeless level.

I am a member of a number of art councils, and associations in the Boston area including the Cambridge Art Association and the Concord Art Association. Tucson has become a second home. I am there for eight months of the year. When in Tucson I am involved in the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild.