Bethanne Kinsella Cople is a plein air painter who captures the landscape with bold, energetic strokes of color. Employing a painterly technique, her landscapes reveal the beauty that surrounds her. Whether painting near her home in historic Alexandria, Virginia, or traveling to such locations as Monhegan Island in Maine, or Texas, Utah and across Europe; Bethanne strives to catch the nuances that light and atmosphere reflect on her subject.
“Working on location, I am able to see the subtleties of color in the landscape as light and atmosphere create exciting scenes. I strive to capture the beauty of the moment, my impression of the landscape. I enjoy employing all the techniques possible with oils such as thick impasto, translucent washes, and palette knife. I seek to create a painting that conveys not only time and place, but also showcases the exciting color of my surroundings through expressive brushwork.“
Cople’s formal training was in fine arts at George Washington University and she continued her studies with nationally renowned plein air artists, including Don Stone, Matt Smith, John Budicin and Kenn Backhaus. Her works are now on display in many public and private collections in the United States.
Cople has received numerous awards, such as the Tansin L. Holzer Memorial Award for traditional painting at the National Arts Club in New York City. Bethanne was selected as an Artist to Watch by Southwest Art Magazine in their February 2006 issue, and was juried into Plein Air-Easton! 2005, 2007 and 2008, where she won Best Pastoral in 2005 and 2008.
