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| Chantal Bethel Portrait by Lyndah Wells |
Chantal Bethel is the premier contemporary artist of the
Bahamas, well known, admired and respected, for her collections of soulful,
intimate pieces. She is “enticed to
capture moods, emotions, the subtleties of human experience.” I have found her body of work to possess
depth, innocence, a sophisticated naivety, feminine beauty, and a rich allure.
She is filled with life, character, and intuit creating works of individual harmony,
the essence of soul. The creative
process of this Hatian born artist is a very spiritual one. She draws upon her vision to give room to
intuition, listening to her inner voice, as she connects with nature, seeing
beyond what is there. Particularly when
sculpting, she is “challenged to give primitive forms humanist content.”
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| Freedom, by Chantal Bethel "In the Spirit" Collection |
Her latest collection, “In the Spirit” is a mixed media body
of work that explores the concept of love, wisdom, strength, and beauty, which
she believes to be the primary attributes of spirit and the very substance of
who we are. It is a Bahamian flamingo
story showcasing passionate brush strokes and compelling textures, with an
emphasis on feelings that are tender and emotional. The assortment features colourful portraits
with titles such as “Lovers”, “Friends”, “Hope”, “Freedom”, “Conversation”, and
“Sweet Dream”, all of which give a sense of culture, charm, and charisma, with
the warmth of inviting colours contrasted with a cooling calm.
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| Friends, by Chantal Bethel "In the Spirit" Collection |
“Their beauty can be compared to that of the human soul”,
she says of her pink flamingos painted on canvas near flowing waters. They are like dancing lovers with a delicate
graceful appearance. These colourful
pink, coral birds are oddly flexible, but in this awkwardness, they have a
distinguished character and a most interesting subject matter. I find it to be a love story; a story of hope
for the world, a story of light and life.
The human soul is infinite and wants to break free of the shell that
contains it, so that it may grow to spread its wings and fly, as such is the
depiction of the egg as shown in this collection. A story of birth into a most beautiful world,
these flamingos represent relationships and friendships and family; all of the
things that we live for, and all of the reasons that we love and grow and
evolve.
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| Lovers, by Chantal Bethel "In the Spirit" Collection |
Chantal’s reputation speaks for itself. She is soulful and expressively
passionate. Her work emanates feeling
and has its own emotional energy that draws you to it. Mrs. Bethel is filled with such strength and
vigor that in her works you can see that she is a fighter for freedom in the
world, hoping to see the best in all and the goodness in all things. She has previously embraced a dark subject
matter after the earthquake in Haiti, addressing the pain and struggles of her
people, singing a song of survival and redemption through her works. It was a tragedy that had affected her for
years, and, she is now at a place in her life where she is embracing beauty
again as she can now “exhale from the soul.”
This is clearly seen in her graceful transitions toward light, “In the
Spirit.”
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| Sweet Dream, by Chantal Bethel "In the Spirit" Collection |
A modernist, inspired by the healing power of art, she
appreciates and loves all types of art without prejudice, but is fascinated by
texture on paintings as mixed media.
With a passionate love for God as ultimate artist and creator, she says
“one always needs to look beyond the surface to discover the whole truth. I am still exploring.” The woman of great wisdom and honour, Chantal
Bethel, also says, “the sun cannot set if it did not rise.” She believes that the role of an artist is to
uplift and to be honest, and shares, “I like to emotionally touch my viewer and
let them feel my thoughts.” A lover of
Junkanoo, art, love itself, and “the blue green water of the Bahamas”, her
portrait of the soul named “In the Spirit” is a light hearted body of work, and
for her, a most rewarding soul exercise.” God bless her.
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| Hope, by Chantal Bethel "In the Spirit" Collection |
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| "In the Spirit" Collection by Chantal Bethel |
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