Bethany Nuzum

About Bethany Nuzum

I grew up in Salem, WV and now live in Shinnston, WV. My parents are now-retired art teachers so I grew up around and with art. I graduated from West Virginia University with double majors in Art History and Fine Arts with emphasis in Painting in 1997. I prefer to work on large canvases, but have recently painted much smaller. I primarily use large and small brushstrokes, palette knife, and oil sticks. My paintings are more about the application and movement of paint with varying textures and layers. Some of my palettes are based upon nature and the seasons. In college I was very much influenced by Willem de Kooning and later more so his wife Elaine, as well as many other Abstract Expressionist painters. I had an art professor tell me I would be considered a third generation Abstract Expressionist, which was quite the complement. I was juried into Tamarack a few years ago, previously owned a gallery called The Palette, in Shinnston, WV where I taught painting, calming art techniques, as well as other arts and craft to both children and adults. I closed the gallery earlier this year but continue to teach painting to children and adults. I have collaborated on murals and other projects locally as well to promote the arts.