Beth Hoyes is an artist, art therapist and embroiderer originally from the UK, now living and working in Denver, Colorado. Beth works on large scale contemporary macro nature embroideries driven by exploring interconnectivity and immersion in nature. Through the tactile form of macro nature embroidery, Beth amplifies images taken from the natural world, inviting curiosity and interaction with details that are usually impossible to see at first glance. The echoes of symbolism, folklore, experience and the connection/disconnection between nature and the self are also key themes in Beth’s work and highlight increasingly important social and political issues in relation to the interchange between communities and the environment. With a background in art therapy Beth's art practice has roots in art making as a means of healing, self-expression and processing experiences, meaning that she sees her work as an evolving exchange between her own experiences and art making processes. Beth received her first-class BA degree from Bath Spa University, Bath, UK for Creative Arts (2007) and her MA in Art Psychotherapy (2011) from Goldsmiths University in London, UK. Beth opened her first solo exhibition, Animal Selves in London at the A Side B Side gallery (2017), exploring the connections between animal folklore, anthropomorphism and the self and regularly exhibits with her London based artist collective, Winnicott Wednesdays. Beth runs an embroidery business, Rabbit Hat Designs, developing embroidery DIY kits for shops and selling embroidery artworks alongside working on commissions to support her art practice.
About Beth
Beth is an Artist, Writer and Art Psychotherapist from London, UK, currently living and working in Denver, USA. Beth completed her Creative Arts degree with honours at Bath Spa University, specialising in creative writing, stop-motion animation and wood engraving. After working for several years as an Arts and Crafts Director in a residential school for children with severe learning difficulties in Bristol, Beth trained to be an Art Psychotherapist on the Masters in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths University. Following graduating from the masters, Beth set up and co-directed a school project delivering Art Psychotherapy services within primary and infant schools across London, working with head teachers, school staff, infants, children and families, prioritizing responding to the needs of individuals and working systemically with families and institutions. Beth then worked as an Art Psychotherapist for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) within the NHS (National Health Service), working with young people in particular as well as children and families. Beth also supervised students on placement and lectured and tutored on the Masters in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths University, leading supervision groups and assisting with the dissertation preparation and marking process. Beth is interested in how different art mediums express experiences or suit certain projects, using various art processes to create her work. Most recently Beth is specifically drawn to working on large scale macro nature embroideries and drawings, especially using charcoal, as well as print making. Beth continues to work as an artist and writer in Denver and runs a nature inspired independent embroidery business in Denver, Colorado, Rabbit Hat Designs.