Beth Kring

Tobin Bennison

Article Category: Skilled Labor 1 Comment

Beth Kring
Tobin Bennison

Merritt Island artist Beth Kring jokingly claims that she does most of her painting in her car. “If I took my pieces into my house,” she laughs, “my dogs would eat them.”

There’s a kernel of truth in this comical aside. In addition to making beautifully muted tropical watercolors, Beth is devoted to rescuing Bloodhounds. “I have four now; we lost three last year from old age,” she says. “I am pretty limited as regards space, so I work in studios like Art & Antiques on Highland Avenue in Eau Gallie. I also take classes with watercolor instructor Jea Jea Tremble at the A-frame on the ocean when I can.”

An interior designer since 1974, Beth came relatively late to painting. “My interior design work incorporated much of art background and supported many of my forays into different forms of expression,” she tells me. “I took pottery classes at Merritt Island Pottery and BCC in the early ’70s, and did ceramics for many years. I’ve tried glass blowing, welding, and bronze and ceramic sculpture.”

Beth’s garden is full of sculptures from this phase of her career, but it’s her whimsical watercolors that are getting the most attention these days. Inspired by “the tropical wonderland of Merritt Island,” Beth paints dreamlike images of local flora and fauna. But she especially likes the mobility the discipline affords her. “Watercolor is a much more portable media and not as involved with heavy equipment,” she explains.

And Beth knows a thing or two about travel, having moved here in 1969 after a three-year tour of Germany. “It was a grand adventure,” she reflects, “but the weather drove us to Florida where we’d always vacationed. We were originally from Baton Rouge, where it rained a lot more than here.”

“My mother was a talented hobbyist and had her private art teacher come into my school when I was in the second grade. I was very fortunate to have been praised for the things I did in art from a very young age. My high school art teacher was so great that almost all of her students majored in art in college.”

But Beth’s first watercolor teacher was local artist Therese Ferguson, who works at Eau Gallie’s Art & Antiques Studio. “Therese is an amazing talent and the most patient person in the world,” says Beth. ”There are so many brilliant artists here in Brevard in all media.”

A long-standing member of the Brevard Watercolor Society, Beth enjoys working with their school volunteer program, which sees artists working with local students and teachers to promote the watercolor tradition. Formed in 1995, and sponsored in part by the Brevard Cultural Alliance, the non-profit Society currently boasts over 200 members, many of whom, like Beth, are well known both statewide and nationally.

Being part of the Society keeps Beth grounded and optimistic about the future of the arts here in Brevard. “We have so many wonderful artists who reside here,” she says. “And the Brevard Cultural Alliance has worked miracles with little financial support to promote arts in the community. The Brevard Art Museum has also worked for years and succeeded in supporting the arts locally. We’re very blessed to have so many galleries and studios here.”

“We’re also so fortunate to live in an area that is so beautiful and clear,” she adds. Whether they depict flamingos, herons, lychees, or one of her beloved Bloodhounds, Beth’s paintings are also attempts at capturing the unique quality of light found here. But she manages to find equal inspiration when she’s away.

“I take pictures in my travels and either sketch the image or trace my original photos after blowing them up to paper size on watercolor paper,” she explains.

An avid diver, Beth hopes to transform some of her underwater photos into paintings in the months to come. This shouldn’t be too difficult an endeavor, when you consider her commitment to harnessing the inherent transparency of watercolors.

“I sketch in pencil, then try to keep my paintings as transparent as possible. The challenge is to make them transparent, but also bright and colorful without making them look too muddy. I like to paint fast with lots of color, but sometimes I fail tragically,” she admits.

Beth’s sense of humor is a big part of her work as well. “I’d like the world to see my work with humor as I progress in my search for color and expression,” she says. “I’d also like for people to smile when viewing my work since making art makes me smile.”

As for the future, Beth hopes to keep traveling and honing her technique.

“There’s so much to do and so little time,” she muses. “But I love the learning process.”

See some of Beth’s work in an upcoming Brevard Watercolor Society show March 31-April 1. Her work is also on display at the Society’s Member Gallery at Art & Antiques, located at 1419 Highland Ave. in Eau Gallie. To see more of her work or to commission a piece, email her at bskring@bellsouth.net. Visit the Brevard Watercolor Society online at: www.brevardwatercolorsociety.com

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