About the Artist

Biography
Beth Barger is a contemporary impressionist painter inspired by the quiet beauty of everyday life. Through expressive light and color, her work invites viewers to pause and rediscover familiar moments—the shifting landscape as sunlight moves across the day, the warmth of shadows on a beloved place, or the sparkle of whiskers on a cherished family pet. Whether painting land and seascapes, animals, or interiors, Beth is guided by the emotional pull of compelling light. 

Beth earned her BFA in Graphic Design from East Carolina University and began her career in advertising and design, including work as an in-house designer at IBM. For more than 20 years, she applied her creative problem-solving skills to management and human resource leadership within an international corporation. Ultimately returning full circle to her artistic roots, she now paints full time and continues to grow through ongoing study with accomplished master artists.

Her work has received national and regional recognition, including juried acceptance into exhibitions with Oil Painters of America (OPA), the American Impressionist Society (AIS), and the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS). Beth has been recognized in BoldBrush’s Monthly Favorite 15% Competition, earned numerous accolades in plein air festivals and juried exhibitions, and was recently elected to the American Artists Professional League. Her paintings are held in the permanent collections of IBM, Research Triangle Park, NC, and Rex Hospital, Holly Springs, NC.

Beth is passionate about sharing her love of oil painting, especially with beginners. She teaches highly regarded workshops throughout North Carolina, encouraging artists at all stages to find confidence and joy in the process. 

Born in Syracuse, New York, Beth grew up in coastal towns as a Navy dependent before settling with her husband in Apex, North Carolina. 

Artist Statement
My love of art began in winter, making paper flowers with my brother while snow pressed against the windows of our home in Great Lakes, Illinois. From that small act of invention, creating with my hands became essential. I earned a BFA in Graphic Design and followed a creative career that slowly pulled me away from making. It was my mother who led me back, inviting me to paint beside her in the open air of France. Today, I paint as a way to savor, to notice light, and to honor the quiet beauty of everyday life. A painting is complete only when it stirs memory and connection in others.

Affiliations

Oil Painters of America, Juried Member
American Artist Professional League, Elected Artist Member
American Impressionist Society,  Associate Member
National Oil & Acrylic Painters' Society, Associate Member
Fine Arts League of Cary, NC

Workshops with

Dawn Whitelaw
Larry Moore
Kim English
Kenn Backhaus
John Poon
Morgan Samuel Price
Ken Auster
Nicole Kennedy
Tom Edgarton
Mary Benz Gilkerson
Ann Templeton

Exhibitions

2026:

• American Artists Professional League First Annual Juried Open Online Exhibition, “Tiny Holstein”
• 31st Annual Fine Arts League of Cary National Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC, “Down by the Fishing Hole”
• People’s Choice Award in Fine Arts League of Cary’s Art of Joy Exhibition, “Tiny Holstein”

2025:

• Outdoor Painter: two pet portraits included in feature about studio pets, April, “Tiny Holstein” and “Fisher”
• Fine Arts League of Cary Master Artists Exhibition, an invitational

2024:

• American Impressionist Society Fifth Annual All Member Online Juried Exhibition “The House that George Built”
• National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Fall Online International Juried Exhibition, "Cluck in Truck" 
• First Place in Paint the Forest: “Friends Use the Side Door” awarded by Lynn Sanguedolce
• Best Cityscape in 8th Annual Paint It Orange NC: “We’ll Leave the Light On” awarded by Lynn Mehta and Sponsors Awards from Eno River Mill and the Hillsborough Real Estate Group
• 29th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC, "Tiny Holstein”
• National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Spring International Online Juried Exhibition, "Tiny Holstein”
• American Impressionist Society 4th Annual Associate Member Online Juried Exhibition, "Tiny Holstein”
• Three paintings selected for Fav15% March 2024 BoldBrush Painting Competition
• Honorable Mention, 16th Annual Small Treasures Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC

2023:

• Sponsor’s Award and Third Place Juror’s Award, 7th Annual Paint It Orange Plein Air Paint-Out Presented by William Travis Jewelry and the NC Orange County Arts Commission
• Two paintings selected for Fav15% July 2023 BoldBrush Painting Competition
• National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society Associate Member Online Juried Exhibition
• American Impressionist Society Third Annual Associate Member Online Juried Exhibition
• The ArtGroup Gallery France to Finish Exhibition, Little Rock, AR
• 28th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC2022:
• National Oil & Acrylic Painters' Society Associate Member Juried Online Exhibition
• National Oil & Acrylic Painters' Society Spring International Juried Online Exhibition
• American Impressionist Society 2022 Associate Member Juried Online Exhibition
• Honorable Mention, 27th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary National Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC
• Artfields Juried Art Exhibition, Lake City, SC

2021:

• American Impressionist Society Second Annual All Member Juried Online Exhibition
• It's in the Genes: A Mother and Daughter Show, The Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, NC
• ECU School of Art & Design Alumni Exhibition, Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, Joyner Library, Greenville, NC
• Cary Gallery of Artists, "Small Treasures" Juried Exhibit, Cary, NC

2020:

• Ten on Ten Ten Solo Exhibition, Chef's Palette, Cary, NC
• 25th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary National Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC
• 41st Annual National Juried Art Show, Arts Council of Wayne County, Goldsboro, NC

2019:

• Raleigh Fine Arts Society 2019 North Carolina Artists Juried Exhibition, Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC
• Scope '19 Juried Exhibition, Rex Heart and Vascular, Raleigh, NC
• Cary Gallery of Artists, "Small Treasures" Juried Exhibit, Cary, NC
• 24th Annual Fine Arts League of Cary Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC
• 311 Gallery "Landscapes and Seascapes" National Juried Show, Raleigh, NC
• Honorable Mention, Fine Art League of Cary Annual Members Exhibition, Cary, NC

2018:

• Honorable Mention, Fine Art League of Cary Annual Members Exhibition, Cary, NC
• 23rd Annual Fine Arts League of Cary Juried Exhibition, Cary, NC
• Second Place, 311 Gallery "Portraying Pets and People" National Juried Show, Raleigh, NC
• Honorable Mention, Paint the Town en Plein Air, Cary, NC
• Honorable Mention, Art Block Plein Air Paint Out, Jacksonville, NC