As our world becomes engrossed in digital media and artificial intelligence, I feel increasingly drawn to document what feels real through my oil paintings. Real, physical objects. Real vegetables grown by real people with their hands in the dirt, working to nourish their communities. Real cakes made to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and ease the pain of loss. Real toys from our childhoods. Real connection. I aim to paint these things so realistically that viewers want to reach into the canvas and feel them and are reminded that lovely little delights exist all around us. I often feature foods made by local bakers, restaurants, and food growers, commemorating their efforts through my passion for painting. My realistic painting technique requires extreme attention to detail, and I spend many hours mixing colors to achieve a large spectrum of value and rich chroma. I see the world through a hyper color lens and make bold choices in my paintings to share my colorful view of life. While my current paintings focus on still life, my past bodies of work included landscapes and animals. I accept commissioned painting subjects of all kinds and have created paintings of pets, landscapes, portraits, and cityscapes for many patrons over the years.
Betsie Richardson has worked as professional fine art oil painter and commercial artist since 2013, with a studio in Garden City, Idaho. She earned a double-major at the University of Washington in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts and Communications. Her realistic oil paintings have been collected around the country by private and corporate patrons, including HB Workplaces: Sprague Solutions, Zion Bank, and hotels. She has created many commissioned oil paintings for private and corporate patrons over the years, her specialty being still life memorabilia. View her 4-foot by 6-foot oil painting commemorating the merger of the iconic Mid-century Modern furniture brands Knoll and Herman Miller at HB Workplaces in downtown Boise. Betsie is represented by Idaho Art Gallery and sells her fine art at juried fine art fairs, BOSCO (Boise Open Studios), and by commission. Find Betsie's "tastefully naughty" greeting cards at retailers around the country, including Idaho Made, Idaho Art Gallery, the Boise and Meridian Co-ops, Hyde Perk Coffee House, and the Broadway and Market Street Meridian Albertsons.
Betsie enjoys eating the food subjects she paints with her friends at Spaceport Studios in Garden City, camping and backpacking with her daughter and husband, running in the foothills, playing classical piano, and traveling the world to find new and fascinating foods.
