Amarillo native Bethany Fields is quickly gaining national recognition for her contemporary pastels, most of which are inspired by the local landscape, from Palo Duro Canyon to the stark beauty of the High Plains.
Fields says the delicate nuance of the medium first attracted her to pastels years ago. “Soft pastel is pure pigment—not chalk—and requires a deft hand and keen eye,” she explains. “I love the tactile quality and immediacy of pastel. It’s very forgiving and allows for a beautiful painterly effect. Depending on your application, it can be either transparent or opaque and allows the artist freedom and range.”
Committed to educating artists about pastels—which can sometimes be misunderstood or under-appreciated—Fields regularly hosts and teaches workshops around the country. She has exhibited her art at the Salmagundi Club and the National Arts Club in New York City, as well as the prestigious Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Her pastels have been featured in Plein Air magazine and Pastel Journal, and in 2020 Fields was named “Editor’s Choice to Watch” for Southwest Art Magazine.
See more of her work at bethanyfields.com.
