References

Edward Betts taught painting for 38 years, held workshops for professionals, and authored many article and books about painting. These include writings about his painting process, his evolutionary approach, all illustrated with many photographs of his work. His writing, and that of others, were the sources of information for this web site. Some of these references are listed on the Publications page. Others are below. This is not a complete list, just those that are most useful to collectors and scholars researching Edward Betts.

Books Authored by Edward Betts

Edward Betts (standing at right) during discussions at the Master Class for Advanced Watercolorist at Rangemark in Birch Harbor, Maine.

Background

Edward Betts freely shared his joy of painting, his experiences, and gave live demonstrations to amateurs and professionals alike. He taught painting almost from the very beginning of his career. First as an assistant professor in 1949 at the University of Illinois, then as a full professor until he retired in 1984. Much of his legacy is through this history as a teacher.

Betts took over as the instructor of the prestigious Master Class for Advanced Watercolorists at Rangemark after the death in 1973 of the founder Barse Miller at Miller's summer studio at Birch Harbor, Maine. Betts was the instructor from 1973 to 1975. Classes were restricted to a limited number of students, all mostly professional painters.

In 1974 Betts authored Master Class in Watercolor to further share his teaching to a wider audience. In the Introduction Betts wrote:

"The classes held at Rangemark have been restricted to a very limited number of carefully selected students, mostly professional painters, who work intensively for a two-week period with the aim of developing a personal style and achieving a higher level of creative quality in the watercolor paintings. This book [Master Class in Watercolor] is by no means a written version of how the Rangemark Master Class currently functions, but it is a bringing together of a sequence of projects or lessons that relate to the class at Rangemark and that are characteristic of the philosophy underlying my teaching there."

Betts authored four books for Watson-Guptill Publications. The first three books were published at a time when full-color photographic reproductions were expensive. As a result, all illustrations are in black-and-white, except for two 16 page sections reproduced in color. The last book came at a time when inexpensive color reproductions were possible and all illustrations are in full color.

Master Class in Watercolor

Master Class in Watercolor (1974) was published in the pre-digital period when printing books in color was prohibitively expensive. As a result most of the illustrations are in black-and-white, with only two sections of 16 pages in color. One section illustrated various paintings by other artists. and the second section illustrated paintings by Betts.

This book is available online with free membership at the Internet Archive.

Creative Landscape Painting

Creative Landscape Painting (1978) was intended as an "idea book' for landscape painters who had mastered basic techniques and were looking for ways to develop their creativity and personal style. The book begins with 50 examples of different approaches to a landscape painting, illustrated on the right page with a b&w photograph of a painting by various artists, accompanied by Betts' instruction and analysis of the artist's approach on the facing left page. A second section consisting of color plates for 24 landscape paintings by noted artists.

Creative Seascape Painting

Creative Seascape Painting (1981) was meant as a companion book to Creative Landscape Painting (1978) intended as an "idea book' for seascape painters who had mastered basic techniques and were looking for ways to develop their creativity and personal style. The book begins with 50 examples of different approaches to a seascape painting, illustrated on the right page with a b&w photograph of a painting by various artists, accompanied by Betts' instruction and analysis of the artist's approach on the facing left page. A second section consisting of color plates for 24 seascape paintings by noted artists.

Master Class in Watermedia

Master Class in Water Media (1993) is an updated, rewritten revision of the earlier Master Class in Watercolor (1974), prompted by the newest publishing technology allowing the entire book to be printed in color. Betts took the opportunity to rewrite large sections to take advantage of the color illustrations clearly showing the point of the text. This updated rewrite also allowed Betts to include step-by-step demonstrations showing the evolution of a painting from beginning to end. If you only wanted to acquire one of Betts' books, this is the one to look for.

Links to Museums Collections with Betts Paintings

Museum Collections Containing Edward Betts Paintings

Fogg Museum of Art, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut
Indianapolis Art Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana
La Jolla Art Center, now called Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), La Jolla, California
Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit, Maine
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine
Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Missouri
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa
Contemporary Arts Center,Cincinnati, OH

Art Institution Collections Containing Edward Betts Paintings

National Academy of Design, New York City
National Watercolor Society, San Pedro, California

University Collections Containing Edward Betts Paintings

Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, Maine
Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
Davis Art Gallery, Stephens College, Missouri
University of Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York
Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia
Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas

Other References

Midtown Galleries archive at the Smithsonian Institution

Entry for Edward Betts from Who's Who in American Art (1992). Betts was first listed in 1953.

Betts Personal Papers

Edward Betts bequeathed all contents of his studio, including papers and personal correspondence, to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. Below are links to PDF files of several hand-typed documents (he worked in the pre-digital times) that Betts wrote summarizing his career.

Edward Betts biographical data.pdf

Edward Betts biographical data with dates and exhibitions, including two addenda.pdf

Edward Betts handwritten biographical notes.pdf