Betsy Stewart is a professional artist. In addition to her artistic endeavors, much of her adult life has been spent exploring remote areas of the world: trekking in the deserts and mountains of India, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Jordan, and in the jungles of the Peruvian Amazon; kayaking the ponds and climbing the peaks in the Adirondacks. Throughout her career, Stewart has chronicled her explorations through art, using painting as a means to interpret these experiences, and share them with others.

In the 1990’s, Stewart lived in Saudi Arabia. She had a strong interest in locating the concealed pre-Islamic archeological sites there. However, they were off limits to foreigners and Saudis alike. Through the good offices of friends, she was nevertheless able to secure permission to embark on multiple trips to rarely visited areas of the Kingdom. Her expeditions included: the carved rocks in the Rub’ Al Khali (Empty Quarter); the town of Khuraibah in the oasis of Al Ula, reported to be the capital of ancient Dedon; Jerash and Al Ukhdud in the Bedouin inhabited mountains north of Yemen; Al Farsh, the habitat of the “Flowered People” tribe; and the minimally excavated Nabetean ruins in Medain Sala.

In more local endeavors, Stewart is a certified “Adirondack 46-er”, having climbed all 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains, which reach more than 4,000 feet.

The work that Stewart creates in her studio reflects her interest in exploration. Her most recent work examines the hidden forms in microscopic pond water together with similar form systems identified in the macrocosmic universe. Her paintings resonate with the philosophy expressed by naturalist John Muir: “When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find that it is attached to the rest of the world.”

In part because of the water theme in her series of paintings, she was tapped to become a member of Take Me to the River (TMTTR), a group of 17 artists from many countries who strive to promote greater understanding among nations and peoples through artistic projects using the subject of water as a metaphorical theme. Since 2002, in addition to U.S. projects, TMTTR has mounted international exhibitions together with local community “Out Reach” workshops, in Cairo, Egypt, Pretoria, South Africa, Istanbul, Turkey, Aix en Provence, France and Montevideo, Uruguay. TMTTR was invited to install works in Istanbul and Aix as the official cultural component for the World Water Forum.

Along with the Explorers Club, Take Me to the River and the Adirondack Mountain Club, Stewart is a member of the Cosmos Club, Art in Embassies Program of the US Department of State and the Philosophical Society of Washington.

For more information and to view her works of art, visit www.betsystewart.com