September 2018 - Beth Wittenberg

The Rochester Public Library is pleased to present the artwork of Beth Wittenberg during the month of September.

Beth Wittenberg is a professional contemporary artist living and working in Rochester, NH. During the summer of 2018 Wittenberg participated in residencies in Frederick, MD and Monhegan Island, ME. Residencies are opportunities for artists to meet and work side by side in an unfamiliar environment, focusing solely on art without the issues of daily life getting in the way. Several paintings in this show were created during these residencies.

Of her experiences, Wittenberg writes, “My two retreats were quite different from each other. The first one in Maryland was exciting because I was able to fully integrate into the community." She stayed in the Francis Scott Key Hotel and worked with artists Tony Mel and Sean P. Kennedy at the Griffin Art Center for three weeks. “I would walk 6 blocks to my studio, three or four times a day, sometimes in the rain, sometimes at 4am, sometimes late at night. The hustle and bustle of the city really electrified my work."

“Monhegan was quite different," says Wittenberg. She invited her friend Andy Heck Boyd, a contemporary artist from Exeter, to join her. “Andy and I went for three days. We arrived by boat, and I was just blown away by the charm of Monhegan. I spent a lot of time taking photographs and drawing and painting.”

Of the work on display Wittenberg says, “The paintings on display at the Rochester Public Library are fueled by the beautiful color of Monhegan Island and the vibrancy and heartbeat of Frederick, MD. My subject matter is born from other’s existential crisis I am witnessing in America. My work, in part, is about the process of creating. Painting for me is a cathartic experience. My works are intuitive. I believe I create not for myself but as a conduit for something greater, an energy, I am simply a medium.” Of her paintings Wittenberg says, “They reflect my inner dialogue and I offer them to the viewer to interpret them as they see fit.”

The Rochester Public Library is located at 65 South Main Street. Call 332-1428 or visit www.rpl.lib.nh.us for more information.