Bethany Harpel

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My Father is an artist and I grew up watching him draw and paint. We always talked about the psychology of design and color theory in life. I discovered the palette knife in high school and realized that I saw the world in bold expressionist strokes. My style has not really changed since my college thesis show but it has become more mature. Children and family life is often a subject of my paintings, and to this point in my life my own family has been my primary focus. My children are all in school and so I am recommitting time to the art that I love. I am an emotional painter whose desire is to tell stories about good things.

Artist Biography- 2019

Bethany Harpel is an oil painter who was born October 30, 1982 in Billings, Montana. She was born into a family of artists', her father being an illustrator and fine artist. Her childhood was spent enjoying the outdoors of Montana with her family, so her work reflects the Rocky Mountain outdoors and family situations. Bethany graduated from Montana State University, Bozeman with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. She met her husband Tyler Harpel at school in Bozeman and they moved to Crested Butte, Colorado in 2006. She and Tyler have three children who are her primary focus. All the while, she was raising children she painted and did commissions. And now that her children are older she is painting again. Her expressionist style conveys the emotion of the beautiful place she lives and her love for family life.