“I love to paint the beauty and joy of life”
By Katherine Nettles / photo by Robby Lloyd
For Bethany Harpel, an impressionistic painter whose work can be found at Redline Gallery on Elk Avenue, painting is an act of letting go. She blends the structural support of oil painting with the flow of natural elements and landscapes she finds in the Gunnison Valley to produce works full of colorful detail and energy.
Harpel paints primarily with a palette knife, a technique she discovered unintentionally in her youth but has considered her primary tool ever since for the structural, almost three-dimensional surface it builds. “I think it provides movement and emotional intensity,” she describes.
Harpel says she strives to paint for the joy of it rather than infusing a lot of deeper meaning in her work. “I am such an intuitive painter,” she says. “I have this feeling I am trying to represent, paint these pathways.”
Harpel paints mostly landscapes, gathering inspiration from the mountains, rivers, valleys and skies surrounding her. She also paints occasional scenes in town such as neighborhood homes, gardens and everyday objects for still-life. “There is so much to be inspired by living here,” she says of Crested Butte. “Every time I step outside or look out the window, there is so much beauty everywhere.”
She says her process begins with design structure. “A lot of times I paint with the name already in mind,” she says. Then once she has a design laid out, “I let the painting happen and just go. You don’t want to be getting bogged down by this idea you had. We tend to hold onto things, and to not want to let them change.”
For Harpel, life is very centered on art and family. Growing up in Billings, Montana, she learned a great deal about painting from her father, Michael Mahoney, who is also an artist. Her dad’s influence on her is evident as she talks about her creative process. “We have so many conversations about painting, pushing through the parts that are hard, to get to where it has its own feeling and unity,” she says. She notes that he too uses texture as a painter, “but we each have our own style.”
“I took a bunch of classes growing up,” she says. “One day I found a palette knife in class and picked it up. I came home and showed my dad and he was like, yeah, that’s a thing.” Harpel went on to study art at Montana State University, delving into studio arts, color theory, technique and arts education. “People have a tendency and are gifted, but there are elements like understanding design and color theory that are such a crucial part of art in general,” she says. “I totally nerd out with my dad on design.”
Harpel also took some business classes in college, as her dad suggested, for the practical side of things. And she also met her husband, who was studying engineering.
After graduating, he found his first job in CB at SGM engineering firm. “We didn’t set out trying to get here. I had never even been to CB or even heard of it,” she recalls. “I didn’t really know anyone here.”
Twenty years later, her husband is still at SGM and together they have raised three children in Crested Butte, with the two youngest now finishing high school.
In the early years, Harpel stayed home with the kids, an opportunity that she cherished. “I was always wanting to be present when my kids came home from school,” she says. “I love being creative with my kids, we’re always working on projects together. It’s been a sweet little piece of our relationship.”
Harpel started back into painting when her youngest was a teenager, and she was ready to make room for studio time. “I was interested and kind of excited to see how I had changed as a painter,” she says. “Because becoming a mom changes the way you see the world.”
Several of her other family members have migrated to Crested Butte—and to the Redline Gallery. Her parents made the move from Montana to CB years ago, and her brother and his family live here as well. Harpel’s mom is a ceramicist and her colorful mugs can be found at Redline, and her sister in law’s wildlife photography graces the walls there as well.
“It’s so crazy for us to be able to be here together,” she says of the family. She also connects with the other artists at the gallery. “This group of artists is really special. I find the community very supportive.” She says of Redline Gallery owner/photographer Mary Schmidt, “Mary has been hugely influential in helping me show my art to others. Moving from the creative process and then selling the paintings, it’s been a big thing opening myself up and getting to share work with other people.” Harpel is at the gallery one day per week. “It’s such a treat, seeing people just enjoying art, seeing something different. Often they aren’t even buying anything, just interacting with it.”
Of course, the actual time Harpel spends painting is all her own. “I have a lot of fun when I paint. I blare my music and sing my heart out,” she laughs. “I love to paint the beauty and joy of life.”
