Sensitivity and refined, delicate elegance mark the career of intuitive and interpretive visual artist Beth Van Hoesen (1926-2010), who was raised in the American West. She lived and pursued her art for more than 50 years in San Francisco with her husband, artist Mark Adams. Beth Van Hoesen: Fauna & Flora features more than 90 of the kinds of pieces for which Van Hoesen was best known--understated, meticulously composed, warm, appealing prints and drawings of the natural world--separated into two sections: animals (from birds to bears) and flowers (from pomegranates to poppies).
Previously unpublished journal excerpts written by the artist accompany the two portfolios and reveal the depth of her quiet artistic vision, how she captured various subjects and her feelings toward them. Bob Hicks, who has written about Van Hoesen before, introduces each section. He thoughtfully examines the late artist's work and eloquently sheds light on aspects of her life and how she cultivated, maintained and mastered her artistic sensibilities. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines