June 12, 2023 · By Tatiana McCrea

Community Interview #4: Beth Alice Art

Hello there, and welcome to our first (of many) community interviews! My name is Tatiana and I am the owner of DevilsMilk! I pride myself on being apart of the MOST kickass communities out there!

Today, I welcome Beth Alice of Beth Alice Art! I’ve known her for a while, and have been following her work!”

Let’s get to the good part!

“Hey there, and thanks for letting me interview you today! Let's go ahead and get started! Can you please tell us a little about yourself and who you are?"

"I'm Beth Dobson, and I'm 30. I've been doing art my whole life! I mostly do acrylic paintings, but I sometimes dabble with digital art, and I love sculpting as well!

I'm bisexual, and a huge supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. I grew up with a lot of hardships and trauma that kind of fuel my art."

"Thanks Beth, glad to have you!

Beth, you have a very unique art style that is very colorful, but also has a destructive/sinister tone to it. You said that you had hardship and trauma that fuel your art. Could you explain a little more about that?"

"Well, I grew up very poor and with a sort-of broken family. I was exposed to a lot of adults that took advantage of me (they were very cruel since I was a toddler).

Because of that, I have severe PTSD and Disassociation, amongst other issues (haha). I always had to take myself out of reality, and place myself mentally into fantasy.

It was how I survived, and still do to this day. I like to create dark art that has this fantasy, bright, and beautiful feel to it because it is so true to life and self. Too many people associate horror elements with darkness, and dirtiness..."

"I think some of the darkest things appear to be light with dark undertones. Because it sneaks up on you when you don't expect it at all.

You're very strong to endure everything that you did, and I'm happy you're able to funnel it into something creative and positive. Who was it that said the best art came from suffering? I believe it was Van Gogh.

Can you talk about your art process as a whole? I'm the proud owner of one of your original acrylic paintings!"

(It was 1 of 4 available from this series. I have the one on the left!)

"Oh, yes! You've been one of my supporters since I first began my journey as a full-time artist, which means the world to me. And I totally agree, it can sometimes highlight dark things even more when they are exposed in such an unnatural way (bright and colorful).

I've been very lucky to be able to have an outlet for my issues , and an audience that is perceptive to it. Being able to help people with similar feelings is also so intimate, and special to me.

So, my process can change a bit depending on how I'm feeling, or what I'm painting. But typically, I spend a lot of time on the creative process of forming an idea. Sometimes I will just have an image pop into my head, so I sketch it immediately.

It's very easy for ideas to get lost even seconds after thinking it up, so I have to be quick on the draw, hahaha! Then, I'll add more to it- Ideas kind of branching off the original sketch. Sometimes I have to do hooouuuurs of searching for *just* the right reference photo. It can be exhausting, but so worth the effort if I find exactly what I'm looking for!

Then it's just about redrawing it onto a canvas, and painting it! I usually plan out the colors ahead of time with Procreate on my iPad, but even then, sometimes it doesn't work out well.

If I feel like any of the colors are 'off', I will completely repaint the entire picture, even if it is almost complete. It doesn't matter if it's close to being done, if it doesn't feel in sync to me. Colors are very important."

"That's awesome! Colors can definitely make or break the entire tone of a picture.

Do you have a favorite piece you would like to talk about?"

"Hmmm... That's a tough question! I actually have so many favorites that mean a lot to me. I guess there is two I'd like to talk about, if that's alright?"

The first one is called 'Disassociation II', and as the name suggests, is my expression of having severe Disassociation. I wanted to convey that feeling of being out of your body, floating, while also feeling so warped and unknown to yourself. Needing to reach for something to ground you, to make you feel real and alive.

I will definitely be making more paintings based off of this feeling. It has such a wide range of meanings and experiences, everyday the same thing feels different. I'm still reaching within myself to pull more of these deep thoughts out and onto canvas.

The second one is 'Astrii's Garden', which is a lot more whimsical, and less about mental illness than it is portraying a scene. I play a lot of video games- MMORPG's in particular, and Astrii is the name of my characters.

I've always viewed her as a representation of my strong self, the one that can take on anything and brave through the world. I wanted to create a scene that portrayed the death of that strength, with all of these fantastical creatures mourning her death- yet growing and feeding off it.

I actually painted this when I caught Covid in February of 2021. It was a very scary time, and I feel like it really adds to that feeling of beautiful departure."

"I love the subtle religious imagery you have incorporated into 'Disassociation II'! And once again, with the bright colors and the deep tones of the background, it wraps it up nicely.

The second image actually reminds me a lot of 'Made in Abyss' (one of my favorite manga and anime)! Was that an inspiration for this piece?"

"Yes, it definitely was!! 'Made in Abyss' is also my favorite anime and manga. I love the horrific, yet fantastic imagery of the art in it. I was rewatching it at the time, and so drew much inspiration.

I love how consuming media and art can just add so much to your depth of vision creatively. When I was young, I drew a lot of bloody body-horror filled art. It shocked the adults around me, to say the least (haha).

Being able to fully lean into that as an adult is incredibly therapeutic. 'Astrii's Garden' is a perfect example of that."

"I think incorporating beauty within the macabre is hauntingly beautiful. It takes a lot to be able to pull it off, but if you can, I think the payoff it worth it!

Do you create other items besides art (on canvas)?"

"I do!

I reeeeally enjoy sculpting, or making things in general. I'm trying to work my way to make other things like cast-sculptures for figurines, and I can produce more quickly than manually sculpting them individually.

Something that is more accessible to people that don't have the funds for more time consuming creations. I'm always excited for new prospects of making my creatures and ideas come to life!"

“That's amazing! One of a kind items in particular are very special. To me, it's like a little piece of you goes into every single one.

Do you have a goal you would like to reach in the next five years?"

"Hmm... I wouldn't say I have a specific goal besides just growth! I'd love to be able to have solo gallery exhibitions. To be able to go to Artist Alley's and sell- have enamel pins and stickers, and other merch that is more affordable than just my paintings!

I'm also always striving to be more personable with my clients and fans. Sometimes I separate my true self from how I am on the internet too much. I unintentionally ostracize myself a lot because of social anxiety. I want to be able to be accessible to people that want to talk to me!"

"If there was one thing you would like your fans to know about you that they might not know, what would it be?"

"It would probably be how much work goes into each piece I create! A lot of work that I do isn't visible, or noticeable. Like, spending entire days looking for references, or the time spent sketching and erasing, and turmoil over things not being 'just right'.

(3 hours)

(60 hours)

(300 hours)

I want them to know how much of me is in each thing I make, even if it doesn't have a super deep emotional meaning to it."

"Oh, I totally get that! You always want to put your best foot forward as well.

Okay, now for an off the wall question! If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, and nothing else, what would it be and why?"

"Hahaha I love this question!

Hmmm... It would probably be tacos. That probably seems generic, but maaaaan I am a sucker for them. I make them all the time, hahaha. They also have such a wide range, so that makes it even better! :D"

"Man, and if you were really crafty, you could break them down and make them into salads and stuff!!!"

"Heeelll yeah! Sooo good. Sometimes I just eat it all nacho-style, but I still say I'm eating tacos, lol."

"Well, thanks. Now you got me hungry for tacos!

Well, Beth it's about that time to wrap it up for now. Thank you so much for interviewing with me! Everyone, please go to Beth's social media links below and give it some love!

Until next time!"