© Copyright. Original artwork by Betty Grisham. All rights reserved.
Welcome to my website. Since you came to this page you must be interested in knowing a little bit about me. I was born and raised in small towns in Missouri. I graduated with a B.S. in Art Education from Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State College) but I have lived most of my adult life in northern Virginia. I am very fortunate to be able to work in Studio 17 at The Torpedo Factory Art Center on the Waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The Torpedo Factory Art Center contains 82 studios and 6 galleries and has a membership of over 160 working artists.
Our studios are open every day (except for 5 holidays) 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. We also are open everly Thursday until 9 p.m. The TFAC is free to the public. Visitors may come in and observe, ask questions, and purchase original art. NOTE: If there is a party event on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening the TFAC may close at 5:00. You may call 703-838-4565 to inquire.
My core hours in the studio are generally Thursdays and Fridays noon till 6:00, every other week-end, and every other Wednesday. I come in on Saturdays around 10 a.m. Since I share my studio with another artist and we sometimes switch days or hours, please email or call to make sure that I am going to be in the studio if you are planning a trip specifically to see me. I am willing to adjust my schedule to accommodate yours if you will call for an appointment. 703-836-5441
My work primarily consists of oil paintings on canvas but I also enjoy working with colored pencil, pastels, and gouache on paper. Although my art can best be described as contemporary realism, I also sometimes work abstractly in a mixture of media. I enjoy using intricate detail, pattern, reflection and transparencies in my representational work, often incorporating textures and contrasts of enhanced rich color against subtle use of grays, beiges, and whites. Variety is important to me, not only in my choices of media, but in my choices of subject matter. That consists of still life, landscapes, pet portraits, and figures. I have recently been working on larger canvases, using glassware and reflections as subject matter in an attempt to create a fluid, landscape-like abstraction within my realism. In some pieces my work crosses the line beyond realism into abstraction and becomes almost totally non-objective art, but all of my work is rooted in the love of drawing and observing what is around me.
Commissions
I consider proposed commissions, often working with clients using their personal snapshots as references with the understanding that I maintain my "artist's license" to interpret them in my own way. I use what they offer to create a work of art that is unique, personal, and meaningful for them while at the same time also creating a work of art that is my own, challenging and satisfying for me. I have painted many pet portraits but I also accepted commissions of other subject matter, including houses, landscape, people, still life, and abstracts. My prices begin at $450.00. (See Pet Portraits and Other Commissions and you may also see more information about my commissions on the Commissions Page on: http://www.Torpedofactory.org/commissions/images/artists/grisham/index.htm)
Book Illustration
I illustrated a book for children, BLUE LEWIS AND SASHA THE GREAT, written by my friend and author Carol Donsky Newell. It is the story of a little boy who is born with a "hole in his heart" and faces the challenges of his condition, while interacting with his peers with the help of his puppy. It has a happy ending and teaches a lesson about being understanding of those with special needs. "Our" book contains twenty-one illustrations. The originals were rendered in gouache and colored pencil. A few of the originals are still available for purchase in my studio. The book is also for sale on Amazon.com. or by contacting the author directly at CallyPress@aol.com.
Artist's Statement
"I believe that there is wonder and beauty all around us if we can just pause long enough to 'see' it 'mindfully' — not just 'look' at it. Even when I am not actively drawing and painting, I am absorbing the visual miracles surrounding me. I love to examine what happens as light falls upon objects and atmospheres, creating shadows, bending, showing through transparent or translucent objects, revealing a variety of textures, and evoking emotional responses. First, seeing and then capturing what I have observed, perhaps exaggerating it slightly, and therefore, hopefully lifting it up for others to share, is my way of celebrating what is good about Life. It is also one of my ways of coping when life is difficult to understand and accept. I hope that my art creates warmth and excitement for others, enriching their lives a bit. I hope it helps others also 'see' ordinary objects around them with new appreciation, and experience the moment a little more fully."
( The last two photographs of me are by T. Johnson.)
