“O’Donnell’s floral photographs are gorgeous; her mixed-media works are creative, complex, and intriguing.”

— Coco Myers

“For my encaustic works, I create textured paintings on a customized and oversized heated plate to blend abstracted imagery of the real world. The place, the feeling, or experience that I am portraying is a snapshot of my present mindfulness; the size of the work comes from the same inspirational process. I hope the resulting images, whether beach or urban scenes, challenge the viewer to look again at what passes in front of them. I attempt to offer calming, reassuring works as symbols of hope in our ever-changing world.

As a photographer who also has a love of painting, I have created what feels to me to be a natural hybrid of these two interests in my mixed media works. The process often starts with mounting photographs on birch panel. I then cover the images with layers of encaustic wax and paint using pigmented oil sticks and inks.

I also enjoy shooting florals with my macro lens, creating almost abstract portraits of flowers. I get taken away in a meditative way when shooting this way; usually still shooting them with my film camera to get what I’m looking for.” — BO

Beth O’Donnell was born in Evanston, Illinois. In the late nineties she studied photography, first at the Evanston Art Center, then at the International Center for Photography in New York City. In 2002, she spent twenty months in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, doing photojournalistic work that was published in The London Daily Telegraph and Marie Claire.

In 2005, O’Donnell began combining photography with encaustic wax. Most recently, she has been using encaustic wax and pigmented oil sticks to add texture to an array of papers and panels in order to create ethereal geometric forms and abstract landscapes.

O’Donnell’s work has been shown in many exhibitions, including at Ashawagh Hall, Amagansett, NY; The Art Barn at Larkin Pond, folioeast, and Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY; The White Room Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY; Holly Hunt, Birnam Wood Gallery, Urban Zen, African Rainforest Conservancy, New York, NY; Heiberg Cummings Design, Oslo, Norway; and The Home Gallery, Nairobi, Kenya.

O'Donnell has also exhibited work at the United Nations in conjunction with the Istanbul +5 Conference and her photographs have been auctioned at several major philanthropic events around the United States. Her book, Angels in Africa, published by Vendome Press in 2006, was named by The Guardian (UK) as one of the top ten photography books of that year.

BETH O'DONNELL

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ARTIST’S CAROUSEL

rotating exhibit of current & recently sold mixed media

Changing Times, 2020, oil on canvas, 17 x 21 in, SOLD

Opposite of Gratitude, 2020, oil on board, 24 x 26 in, $3,000

A Gathering Storm, Force and Fury, 2020, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, oil and ink, 38x 36 in, $10,000

Paris Climate Accord, 2020, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, oil and ink, 23 x46 in, $4,000

Polaroid Wave, 2019, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 32 x 56 in, SOLD

Old House Beach, 2019, diptych, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 32 x 56 in, $5,000

Gardiner’s Island, 2019, diptych, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 32 x 56 in, $5,000

Amagansett, 2018, encaustic on paper, 38 x 86 in, $10,000

Golden sand, encaustic on Japanese rice paper, 23 x 48 in, $4000

Gerard Drive, 2018, oil stick and encaustic on board, 14 x 35 in, $2,400

Red at Asparagus Beach, encaustic wax on rice paper, 31 x 47 in, $4700

Townline at Fog, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 25 x 56 in, SOLD

Guinea Fowl at the Beach, 2018, encaustic on paper, 24 x 40 in, SOLD

15 Seasons in the Hamptons, 2016, polaroid, encaustic wax, oil stick on panel, 20 x 32 in, $3,200

Fairy in the Woods, 2018, encaustic on paper, 21 x 25 in, $2,800

Ditch Plains, encaustic on rice paper, 21 x 25 in, SOLD

Mecox Pond, encaustic on rice paper, 21 x 25 in, SOLD

Red Streak, 2018, encaustic wax, oil stick, ink on panel, 40 x 40 in, SOLD

Lolli Pop Flowers, 2018, encaustic on rice paper, 47 x 39 in, SOLD

Flower Puffs, 2018, encaustic on paper, 47 x 39 in,

Butterfly at Cooper Beach, encaustic on rice paper, 39 x 47 in, SOLD

Wyborg, 2019, diptych, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 32 x 56 in, SOLD

Grey Storm Triptych, encaustic wax on Japanese rice paper, 26 x 55 in, SOLD

Torn but Not Broken, 2018, encaustic wax, oil stick and oil on photograph on panel, 16 x 20 in, $2,400

Catharsis, 2018, encaustic wax, oil stick, ink on photograph on panel, 40 x 50 in

Torn but Repaired, 2018, encaustic wax, oil stick, oil on photograph on panel, 40 x 40 in, SOLD

All Sewn Up, 2019, photograph, encaustic wax, needle and thread on panel, 40 x 60 in, $6,200

Larkin Pond, 2016, oil stick and encaustic on board, 40 x 60 in, SOLD

BETH O’DONNELL speaks to folioeast’s COCO MYERS

CM/ YOU WORK IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS. HOW DO YOU COMBINE THEM?

BO/ I almost always use encaustic wax and oil paint; oil sticks either to make a painting on board or to be used over photography. I melt wax in electric pans or on a large "hot box." I use a heat gun to reheat or move the wax. I also use Japanese rice paper and tissue paper as the ground for encaustic wax paintings. Recently with photography, I've been tearing the photograph, sewing it back together and then applying the clear wax before using brushes and oil paint to finish the work.

CM/ WHERE DO YOU DO MOST OF YOUR WORK?

BO/ I built a modular barn in East Hampton which is my studio. The space has a loft for an office/resting area and downstairs is the work space. I travel quite a bit and guide safaris, so I also shoot a lot in Africa.

CM/ WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR ON THE EAST END? IS IT ALSO A PARTICULARLY CREATIVE TIME FOR YOU?

BO/ Summer is my favorite season. I know it's crowded but I take the back roads and I'm up early. It is the most creative time for me continuing into fall. I like to open up my studio door and bring the work outside.

CM/ DO YOU HAVE ANY WORKS BY EAST END ARTISTS IN YOUR HOME?

BO/ I have two Peter Beard photographs depicting Africa and I also have a large John Alexander painting.

PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW of mixed media