About the Artist
Welcome to my website! While as an artist I am known as Elizabeth Leone Holmes, just about everyone knows me as Betsy. I am an outdoor/plein air oil painter with a passion for nature – the seasons, weather, light… all of it is inspiration for my work. Recognizing that we are often too busy to notice the beauty around us, I'm inspired to create paintings to remind us of the splendor that is our environment.
The Impressionist and Expressionist painters of Europe, the US and Canada are my continual inspiration. Take a look at the works of the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler, California artist William Wendt, and the Canadian "Group of Seven" and you will recognize how their view of nature inspires my work. For me, painting is the joy of color, making expressive marks, and sharing the beauty I see in the world.
Education and teaching is another passion; I recently retired as Library Director at New Hampshire Institute of Art and continue to teach art history and plein air painting at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). I never stop learning when I teach! I hope you'll consider subscribing to my newsletter, where I will discuss various topics on painting inspiration, technique, and of course art history! https://www.holmesartstudio.com/email-newsletter.
When I'm not painting or planning classes, I work in a variety of conservation initiatives including as a land steward and invasive species monitor. And, I'm very lucky to live on Deering Lake with my husband Ralph, the loons, herons, kingfishers, bald eagles, et al!
The act of creating a work of art outdoors is so different… so humbling… when compared to the studio experience. Being in the woods a painter is never alone; the birds are singing, the wind might be blowing, and you race with the sun to depict a moment that really can never truly be captured. The experience is sensual: the scents, the sounds, the views – I am constantly drawn back to it. While a painting can never fully represent the experience, my work stands as a souvenir of a moment of bliss.
--Betsy Holmes
Recent Exhibitions:
2025 "Plein Air in the Valley", River Valley Community College, Claremont, NH (Invitational)
2025 "Interpretations of a Season's Impermanence" Jaffrey Civic Center, Jaffrey, NH
2025 "Joy in the Making", New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth, NH
2025 "Old Friends, New Works", Kimball/Jenkins Gallery, Concord NH (Invitational)
2025 "Tout le Monde", See/Saw Gallery, Manchester NH (Juried)
2025 "Artists' Weekend at the Fells", John Hay Estate, Newbury NH (Invitational)
2025 "Naturally New England", Livery Gallery, Sunapee Harbor NH (Juried)
2025 "The Colours of Spring", Dharma Gallery, Amherst NH (Invitational)
2025 "The Regional Show", Library Arts Center, Newport, NH (Juried)
2025 "Summer Member Show", Two Villages Art Society, Contoocook NH.
2025 "Capturing a Moment in Time" The John Hay Estate, Newbury, NH. (Invitational)
2025 "Things Change; Things Remain the Same" Solo exhibit, Rochester Public Library, Rochester, NH (Invitational)
2025 "Dreamlands" See/Saw Gallery, Manchester NH (Invitational)
2025 "Mentors and Masters" Thom Adams Gallery, French Hall, Manchester NH (Juried Invitational)
2025 "Conspiracy of Spirit: An Ekphrasis Poetry and Art Show" Art Up Front Gallery, Exeter NH (Juried Invitational)
2025 "Adopt the Pace of Nature Solo Exhibition" Dublin Community Center, Dublin, NH (Invitational)
2025 "100 Mile Radius Show", Thorne Sagendorph Gallery, Keene State College, Keene NH (Juried)
2025 "Winter Ways", Dharma Gallery, Amherst NH (Invitational)
2025 "Mud Season", Artistree Gallery, Pomfret, VT
2025 "Revelations in Color: Water and Oil", Rollinsford Community Center, Rollinsford NH (Invitational)
2025 Daily Artists Annual Exhibit, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret, VT
2024 "Presently" See/Saw Gallery, Manchester NH (Juried)
2024 Holiday Members' Show, Two Villages Art Society, Contoocook NH
2024 "Alchemy" New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2024 League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair, Sunapee NH (Juried)
2024 Plein Air at the Fells, Newbury, NH (Juried)
2024 Summer Member's Show, Two Villages Art Society, Contoocook, NH
2024 "Selections", Library Art Center, Newport NH (Juried)
2024 Daily Artists Annual Exhibit, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret, VT
2024 "Amuse Bouche", New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2023 Small Works - the calendar year, New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2023 Holiday Members' Show, Two Villages Art Society, Contoocook NH
2023 Plein Air Artists' show, New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2023 "Abstraction", Saint Anselm College, Comisky Hall, Manchester NH (invitation)
2023 "Light and Dark III", New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2023 Creme de la Creme, The Art Center, Dover NH (Juried)
2023 Perkins Cove Paint-Out, Ogunquit ME
2023 League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair, Sunapee NH (Juried)
2023 Naturally New England Art Exhibit, Sunapee NH (Juried)
2023 Plein Air at the Fells, Newbury, NH (Juried)
2023 Summer Member's Show, Two Villages Art Society, Contoocook, NH
2023 "The Artist's Eye and the Poet's Word", The Fells, Newbury NH (Juried)
2023 'Elements', New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH
2022 'The Regional Show', Library Arts Center, Newport NH (Juried)
2023 Daily Artists Annual Exhibit, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret, VT
2023 "Geography/Seasons 4 x 4" Solo exhibit, Mezzanine Gallery, Woodstock VT (Juried)
2022 Small Works 2022, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret VT.
2022 SALON 20212 Group Exhibit, Kimball-Jenkins, Concord NH (Juried)
2022 Local Color, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret VT.
2022 Naturally New England Art Exhibit, Sunapee NH (Juried)
2022 Plein Air at the Fells, Newbury, NH (Juried)
2022 Omer T. Lassonde Exhibition, 'Ritual', New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH (Juried)
2022 Landscapes of New Hampshire, New London Inn, NH/Center for the Arts (Juried)
2022 Selections Show, Library Arts Center, Newport NH (Juried)
2022 Daily Artists Annual Exhibit, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret, VT
2021 Small Works 2021, Artistree Gallery, Pomfret VT.
2021 SALON 2021, Group Exhibit, Kimball-Jenkins, Concord NH (Juried)
2021 Pandemic Lemonade: Paintings during COVID, Whipple Free Library, New Boston NH (Solo show)
2021 Land + Light +Water + Air, Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville VT (Juried)
2021 The COOL Show, Bromfield Gallery, Boston MA (Juried)
2021 Naturally New England Art Exhibit, Sunapee NH (Juried)
2021 Summer Exhibition, Nadur Arts, Galway NY (Juried).
2021 Selections, Regional Art Exhibit, Library Arts Center, Newport NH (Juried)
2021 Omer T. Lassonde Exhibition, Beyond the Boundaries, New Hampshire Art Association, Portsmouth NH (Juried)
2021 Spring Palette Exhibit, Nadur Arts, Saratoga NY (Juried).
2021 Breath of the Forest, WCA NH Open Exhibit, Rochester.
2021 MUD (Season), Artistree Gallery, Pomfret VT.
2020 Summer Exhibition, Nadur Arts, Galway NY (Juried Exhibit).
2020 CASA Fundraiser, Manchester NH.
2017 Mount Washington Exhibit, Eye Gallery, NH Institute of Art (Juried Exhibit).
2017 Whipple Free Library, New Boston NH (Solo Exhibit)
2016 A+E Café Exhibit (Solo Exhibit)
2013 -2016 Minumental Annual Exhibit, NH Institute of Art
Education:
BA (Sociology) from Geneseo State University of NY, 1977
BFA (Painting) from Massachusetts College of Art, 1995
MS (Library and Information Science) from Simmons College, 1991
MFA (Fine Art) from Northern Vermont University, 2005
