Betty Barss’ creation of “Encore” for the 2016 Britt Fine Arts Poster was influenced by the enthusiasm and appreciation audiences show by standing and clapping during and at the end of a performance. The audience in the painting was created with a series of paper doll chains connected at the elbow instead of the hand. Betty’s use of paper doll chains in her artwork evolved from her enjoyment of paper dolls and simple paper chains during her childhood. Betty used vivid colors in “Encore” to portray the fun and enjoyable aspects of performances at Britt.
Betty was born in Dallas, Texas. She moved to California in 1957 and graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in Elementary Education. She taught fourth and sixth grade, including art, for 25 years with the Medford School District. Betty and her husband, Don, have lived in the Rogue Valley since 1974 and have two married sons and four grandsons.
She began painting in oils in 1970 and switched to transparent watercolors as she says the challenge and spontaneity of watercolors more accurately reflects the feelings she wants to convey. Betty has taken numerous watercolor classes and attended many workshops, and she tutored under the late Bruce Butte of Jacksonville. She has been a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon since 1991 and is a current member of Art and Soul Gallery, the Rogue Gallery, Southern Oregon Society of Artists, and Artist’s Workshop. You can see her work at Art and Soul Gallery, the Rogue Gallery, the Jacksonville Inn, Hart Mt. Store, and her studio.