The 70s- Life and Death
In 1972, Bettye’s life would be shattered by tragedy when her youngest daughter, Ginny, died after choking on food in a snow tunnel dug in the family’s yard. The accident sent Bettye into a spiral of grief and she didn’t think she would ever paint again. Then, two years after her daughter’s passing, Bettye was suddenly stuck with the urge to paint. She’d had her fill of darkness and sadness, and now she wanted to let joy and light back into her life. Taking inspiration from her natural surroundings, Bettye created paintings filled with the life that she so desired. She started with landscapes and then moved into bright and vibrant paintings of flowers. Around the same time, Bettye would take the advice of a friend of hers and begin exclusively painting with watercolors on large surfaces; later saying that it was the best decision she had ever made. As the decade went on Bettye also began incorporating acrylics and even made acrylic copies of older watercolor paintings in order to explore the differences between the two mediums.