Bethany Aiken
Painter
| SITE #8 |
1552 Reach St., Port Perry | with Diane Smith |
My aim as an artist is to share the joy that I find in nature with others, inspiring passion and curiosity for the natural world, particularly wildlife.
As a zookeeper I am privileged to spend my days working closely with many of the animals that inspire my creations. In this role, I get to know the animals as individuals, what makes them each unique. When I see other animals in the wild, I am therefore curious about how each specific animal experiences the world, what makes it different from its neighbour? By representing animals through bold colours, various textures and an impressionist style, I aim to pique that curiosity in others. My work encourages the viewer to take a closer look, to see something they didn’t notice at first glance, both in the artwork and in the world around them. These works also bring moments of Joy into people’s lives – a break from the stressors of life, a place for their eyes and their mind to rest and imagine something outside of themselves.
My exploration of bold colour in my paintings also serves me on a personal level, as it has freed me from the restraints of realism which fed into my struggle with perfectionism. When my goal was to simply mimic the natural world, I was never satisfied. My current style encourages me to explore the creativity within myself and embrace the joys of creating something uniquely me.
Bethany Aiken has always had a passion for animals. From a young age she knew she wanted a career that involved animals in some way. This led her to the University of Guelph, where she graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology. Her passion for wildlife then brought her to the Toronto Zoo, where, after a few summers of working seasonally, she joined their staff as a full time Zookeeper in 2016.
Throughout this time, Bethany continuously found ways to express her creativity. Whether it was through sketching, photography, wood carving, pyrography, or many other creative endeavors, she found ways to express her joy of the natural world through art. Around the same time that she was hired on full time at the zoo, she stumbled into acrylic painting and fell in love with the medium. She began painting wildlife, drawing inspiration from the many animals she cared for on a daily basis. Her zoo community, along with her family and friends, provided incredible support and encouragement, giving her the courage to continue exploring her art and sharing her work. Aiming for realism in her paintings led her to lose some of the joy she felt in creating, but she found her way back to the bold colours and abstract style that first attracted her to acrylic painting. Through online courses and communities, she continues to explore this style and learn from other artists. While acrylic is her current focus, she also enjoys exploring other mediums such as water colour.
Bethany moved to Port Perry in 2022 with her husband, joining the community of local artists and continuing to build her own skill and passion for creating. In early 2023, she shifted to part time work at the zoo in order to spend more time creating art. Since making this shift she has had multiple works displayed in Juried shows and galleries, and is excited to have her first solo show in late 2024 at the Scugog Art Space.
