About Beth LaPenna
Beth began her love affair with painting after more than 30 years as a licensed, ASID interior designer in Texas, and soon after her return to Nashville in 2017.
Her deep, intrinsic love of color fuels her wide-ranging palettes. She enjoys working with textures, patterns and a variety of styles, from traditional to modern.
A Nashville native, her dad collected original art and as a ten-year-old she took art lessons at Cheekwood Museum and Botanical Gardens. She was fascinated by art, and coupled with nature, this set her on a life-long pursuit of beauty.
Earning a degree in Human Resources and trying on different professional hats, she took a leap of faith in 1982 and moved to Houston to pursue her dream of becoming an interior designer. Selecting, framing and installing art for clients was an exciting facet of her business.
After retiring, Beth discovered acrylic fluid art. It was her first foray into painting. Using a hair dryer, child’s sand shovel, treadmill oil, balloons and a colander, she found the possibilities to be endless. And color! Her passion as an artist is enlivening each canvas with expressions of color and movement. The beauty of fluid art is trusting your intuition to create art that can’t be produced any other way.
Moving towards abstract impressionism, today Beth paints with joyful expectancy. Her pieces range from playfully colorful to muted and mysterious. She may have an idea in mind but often something else entirely different emerges. Staying present, curious and using skills developed over a lifetime, she creates art that is both thoughtful and uplifting.
Bringing more joy to the world as an artist may sound like a fairy tale ideal yet Beth believes the power of art to enrich, transform and heal is very real, and is something to be enjoyed every day.
Read what Beth’s Collectors are saying…
“Beth’s paintings capture the essence of spontaneity and creativity.”
“Her bold experiments with color and form result in art that is both visually stimulating and emotionally resonant. That’s what I love about her work. When guests visit my home, they often comment on the beauty and passion of her paintings.”
Elizabeth
“We were immediately drawn in by the energy and emotion she expresses consistently in her paintings and mixed” media”creations.
We have just added a third painting to our collection of Beth’s work. Each one brings us joy and yes, even a sense of peace and order.”
Sarah and Justin
Artist Statement
As a child, I remember looking into my mother’s diamond wedding ring. The prism of colors looked like a rainbow after a storm. Visualizing color and how I could use it creatively came from spending memorable weekends with my dear grandmother. in Nashville.
I came late to the painting party. After retiring as a Licensed, ASID interior designer in 2017 and coming through a most challenging time in my life, painting became a way to lift myself up from the ashes. It was a true breakthrough after a health breakdown. My joyful spirit and natural inquisitiveness returned and art became my therapy. I believe art heals in miraculous ways for both the viewer and the artist.
Whether my pieces are playful and colorful or more muted and somber, I want the viewer to come away feeling enriched in some way. My hope is my art will touch someone at a soul level, perhaps recalling a time or place long forgotten. Especially since COVID, painting is a way to connect and communicate. And I am truly grateful to offer a fresh new perspective on life through my art.
