For the Love of Art

When an artist genuinely adores her craft, the art she produces will testify to that love. No one proves this maxim more convincingly than Betsy Thompson, a Portland, Maine-based collage artist who cycles through nature, literature, home life, and other favorite themes with a warmth and vigor that suggest a deeper motivation than simply the need to sell a few prints. Drawing upon a palette of rich, yet tempered colors and working with mixed media that lend superb depth and movement to her compositions, Thompson invites us to enter her world through visually unforgettable pieces like Gone to Sea, based on the Edward Lear story of the Owl and the Pussycat, then seemingly leads us home amid the towering woods of Little Red in Spring.

Her avian subjects, standing alertly in the foreground of works such as Winter Wait and Peace in the Garden, delight us nearly as fully as the subtle layers of story text or sheet music that color her backgrounds. Her more ironic work, typified in Oh Alice, appeals to the lit-loving soul in us all. Her juxtapositions of color with black and white elements, as in Monocular Nest, beguile us; her simple renderings of swaddling infants such as the one in Safe-Keeping melt our defenses and remind us that art is nothing if not a direct connection to the human heart.

To tempt you further, Betsy is graciously offering her art print Winter Wait as a gift to one lucky reader. To qualify, visit Betsy Thompson Studio, then come back here to tell us about your favorite print. Tell us in a second post if you subscribe to Wishing Willow, since our subscribers receive an extra entry in the contest. To post without a Google account, just click “anonymous.” Be sure to also leave your email address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends 1/14/09.

We have a winner! Mary said, "Tea with Lemon and Peace in the Garden. Lovely art !!!"