Artist Reception: Bettye Barclay

Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica will host a reception for artist Bettye Barclay, whose paintings hang on our Art Wall throughout August and September. The event will be held after our worship service on Sunday, August 4, 2023, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm in Forbes Hall.

Her current exhibit, Eclectic 2, acknowledges the variety of media and expressions present in her paintings, which include watercolor, acrylic and mixed media.

For me art serves as a visual expression of the cycles and changes that are part of life. Paintings are an attempt to express the wholeness of life, which is constantly in flux. The tension of the call to change, the human desire for stasis, and the way life demands movement, are ongoing themes. My greatest excitement comes when working in non-objective ways, letting color and form develop as a way of expressing experiences that are beyond words.

In many of the paintings, Bettye used acrylic pour painting, a technique that creates effects difficult to achieve with a brush. While she likes the unusual details, it is challenging to control the final composition. The paintings on display are her favorites of the many done by pouring, and show some of the varied looks that are possible with this technique.

The watercolors are examples of her love of working with color in abstract and non-objective ways.

At the reception, Bettye will have jewelry made with my handmade glass beads, fused glass pieces and copies of her books Musings and Memories, a book of poems, a book of essays called Discovering Inner Gold, a Spiritual Memoir, and Scatter Joy, a selection from the many memes Bettye sent daily to family and friends during the early years of COVID-19.

The reception is free and open to the public, and the artist will donate a percentage of her profits to support our congregation.

The exhibit is open on Sunday mornings after 10:00 am. To schedule a viewing during business hours, please call Esther Chase at (310) 829-5436 x100.

For all other inquiries, please contact our Art Committee.