BETH EDWARDS

Bio:

Beth Edwards was born in Decatur, Alabama in 1960. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and her Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University. She has exhibited at the David Lusk Gallery in Memphis, TN, Gallery NAGA in Boston, MA, Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA, the Leonard Tachmes Gallery in Miami, FL, the Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee, the Plus One Plus Two Gallery in London and is represented by the David Lusk Gallery in Memphis. Her work is in numerous public and private collections including the Howard and Judith Tullman Collection in Chicago and the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis. Her work appeared on the cover of New American Paintings in 2001 and again in 2004.

Statement:

I approach the subject of dolls and toys from the vantage point of a still life painter, long involved with the domestic realm and the types of objects that originate there. Like most who have dealt with this subject, I am fascinated by the way in which toys, particularly dolls, exemplify both the animate and inanimate spheres of existence. While this captivating trait accounted for much of my initial interest, I have since moved into a more critical, questioning phase with this subject. What are the particular cultural concerns embedded within these playthings and in what ways is a toy an attempt to imprint those perspectives upon children? Most importantly as a person who operates visually, I am drawn to these objects because I cannot comprehend the decision-making process that has gone into their creation. To me, they are truly enigmatic.

My paintings record and commemorate the overblown sentimentality, unsettling narratives and peculiar characterizations that particular toys exemplify. I wish for these images to elicit a memorable and evocative quality through ineffable means - to provide unexpected complexity and weight to these seemingly innocuous things.

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