Bette Trono

Artist Statement

This year, I will be showing my art at Marin Society of Artists, 1515 3rd St (corner of E St), San Rafael, May 2nd and 3rd (weekend 1). Hope to see you there during Marin Open Studios.

As an abstract painter, my artwork explores the intersection of color, memory and spatial experiences. Mine is an ongoing fascination with spatial relationships — how we occupy space, relate to it, exist within spaces; how our space defines us, and we define it. Shapes and color are a primary focus in my work. Beneath the surface of paints, lie layers of shapes, gestural rhythm of marks and textures: memories. It is an ethereal storytelling of things forgotten, discovered and imaged. Inspired by nature, people, and the quiet resonance of place, these are all integrated into the making of my art. Whether painting in acrylic or oil, I use color as an unspoken voice of our emotions. With color, I look to create visual environments and moods the viewer can call about in their own personal way.

Biography

San Francisco Bay Area artist, Bette Trono, paints from her studio in the Liberty Ship Building, Sausalito, CA. Born in Sendai, Japan, Bette was raised in the Midwest. After earning her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduate studies at the Kansas City Art Institute, she moved to California. She built a successful career in art publishing as a graphic designer, art director, creative director before returning to painting. Oil and acrylic are her “go-to” mediums working in abstract and figurative subject matter.

Bette has shown her work at Mill Valley ArtWalks venues, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA; Marin Society of Artists, ArtWorks Downtown, San Rafael, CA; Gearbox Gallery, Oakland, CA; Gallery Route One, Toby’s Art Gallery, Point Reyes, CA; DeYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA; Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR; KALA Art Space, Astoria, OR.

Affiliations: Member of Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA; O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA

Art Medium(s)

Oil Paint, Acrylic Paint, Mixed Media