Full Circle

Beth Hyatt unveils new work at Arizona Fine Art EXPO  

By Sue Kern-Fleischer

In some ways, Beth Hyatt has come full circle. She loved to draw as a child and even moved to Chicago to pursue an art career at the Art Institute of Chicago, but she was swept into the world of fashion, where she worked as a model.

Several years later, she and a friend started Model Image Center, Inc. to help new models learn everything from how to put makeup on to how to walk down the runway in front of the cameras. When she moved to Arizona in 2002, she started to draw again, and today she is an acclaimed painter.

Now Hyatt has combined her passion for painting and modeling to create a new series of fashion paintings that she will unveil at the Arizona Fine Art EXPO, which opens on Friday, January 11 and runs through Sunday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, rain or shine, under the “festive white tents” on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Jomax Roads, next to MacDonald’s Ranch.

The event features 124 patron-friendly artist studios within a 44,000-square-foot space, where guests have a rare chance to meet the artists, see them in action, and learn about their passion, inspiration and techniques. While the fine art show features several local artists, some artists will travel from Israel, Zimbabwe, Russia, Korea, Mexico, Holland, China, Canada, Peru and throughout the United States to participate in the show. 

Hyatt, an Anthem resident, has been exhibiting her paintings at Arizona Fine Art EXPO for more than a decade. While the show provides a great opportunity to connect with potential new clients, she keeps going back because of the camaraderie.

“For 10 weeks, I’m surrounded by fantastic artists who are like my extended family,” Hyatt says. “Not only do we have fun together; we learn from each other. I’m also grateful for their support. Sometimes, if I’m getting too close to my work, I can ask for and receive honest feedback and helpful suggestions.”

Hyatt is best known for her portraits of people and animals, which focus on faces, but her new abstract work focuses on the female body and motion.

“With my facial paintings, I was capturing emotions through the eyes, but now I’m having fun discovering how I can capture emotion through body movement,” she says.

As in her previous work, she enjoys the challenge of including the element of surprise in her paintings. “With my faces, I would often include subtle colors that in some ways would appear invisible,” she says. “With my fashion series, the figures are not outlined – I create patterns that trick the brain into thinking there is an outline of the figure.”

Another surprise – she puts three coats of white oil paint on her canvas before she starts painting her designs. “Just because the background is white, doesn’t mean the canvas is not painted,” she says.

Currently, she is experimenting with a deep brown background. “I don’t know how it will turn out, but that’s part of the fun,” she says.

Hyatt’s new series of paintings will range in size from 18” x 36” to 24” x 36” and 36” x 72” for triptychs.

In addition to meeting Hyatt and watching her work from Arizona Fine Art EXPO, visitors can stroll throughout an enhanced two-acre sculpture garden, which will feature nearly 40 stone, metal, glass and mixed media sculptures. Glassblowing classes will also be held throughout the 10 weeks.

Arizona Fine Art EXPO is located at 26540 N. Scottsdale Road, on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Jomax roads. Season passes cost $10; season passes for seniors and military are $8; and children under 12 are free. Parking is free. For more details about participating artists or events during the show, call 480-837-7163 or visit arizonafineartexpo.com.