Betsy Cole

One of the most fascinating discoveries I’ve made as an artist is realizing how much needed to be unlearned. True, one must grapple with the techniques of art, but my real challenge has been undoing my rigid ways of seeing the world through fear and judgment and rediscovering long-lost joy.
It has been a wonder to discover at the innermost part of myself there wasn’t emptiness or dread, but a deep curiosity, and I began to take risks.
It was in Bali where my art found true direction. I gained confidence. Painting need not necessarily depict a “thing,” but can actually become a “dance of color” that expresses how I feel. Art became “play” — a dance of color that expressed how I feel.
Art heals. It does so by bringing the inside out. Life isn’t always easy but art can bring light, joy and color to the darkness, pain and fear. As I began to untangle my life and view it as a journey, I allowed my love of bright colors to be expressed and acquired a new healing purpose.