Anastessia Bettas-TRAILS WITHIN

Galerie St-Laurent + Hill Presents:
Anastessia Bettas
TRAILS WITHIN
May 22 - June 10
Vernissage: Saturday, May 24, 2:00 - 5:00pm

Bettas Artist Statement

My paintings are a reflection of my fascination with the fragmented, grid-like patterns found in nature which I use to abstractly capture the essence of landscapes and journeys. For over two years, my work has been informed by global initiatives to restore, heal and conserve environments. In my latest series, Trails Within, I explore how restoring balance to our natural environments can serve as a metaphor to restore balance within ourselves. Drawing from personal experiences, I strive to convey feelings of connection, mindfulness and gratitude when we immerse ourselves in nature, highlighting its potential as a source of healing.

I apply multiple layers of paint, working in encaustic or acrylic, adding and subtracting layers with intuitive mark making to create surfaces rich in depth and texture. The visible brush marks and scrapes enhance the emotion and energy behind each stroke. I use my signature grid based motifs alongside organic and structural shapes to create movement and pathways for viewers to enter and engage with the pictorial space. My work invites contemplation of the duality between internal and external landscapes, encouraging healing, happiness, and reconnection.

Bettas Biography

Anastessia Bettas is a Canadian artist with an Art History degree from McGill University and a Fine Arts Diploma from Toronto School of Art. Her new series was developed during her recent Artist Residency at the School of Visual Arts, NYC. She has exhibited in over sixty juried exhibitions in commercial and public galleries in North America and her paintings are in private collections around the world. Her painting, District, is part of the permanent collection in the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was a featured artist in the Encaustic Arts Magazine Winter 2022 issue. Her work was included in John B. Aird's national survey of Canadian contemporary painting and her painting, Blue Marble, was purchased by Happy Madison Productions and featured in an Adam Sandler film in 2023. Her artistic influences include Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Brice Marden. Bettas is represented by Galerie St. Laurent + Hill in Ottawa and the Petroff Gallery in Toronto.

Galerie St-Laurent + Hill
293 Dalhousie Street
Ottawa, Canada
K1N 7E5