Tea with Beth Gibbeson by Anna C.

Anna’s Introduction

I am the kind of girl that points and shoots, followed up by a minimal edit. Because of that I am  comstantly amazed at what artists can do with an iPhone. Whatever you want to call it- digital collage, iphone art, mixed media, or wicked awesomeness- is up to you and no matter what you call it the patience and talent it takes to pull it off is amazing. So needless to say when I ran across Beth’s  feed I was first blown away, then floored that she used her kiddos as models many times. That’s what I call creative parenting 😉 Her images contain mystery, whimsy, and surreal elements. I ask you does it get better than this?

A:  Anna  B:  Beth

A:Tell me how being a mom has changed your perspective in art.

B:  Well to start with, I am more focused on art practices that require a lot more patience and persistence. For example, I do a lot of drawing that requires an enormous amount of detail and pattern work that can be quite pain stacking at times.Before becoming a mom I would have never foreseen that my art would have taken this path. And the same goes for my photography. The amount of time I spend editing on a tiny little iphone screen is pretty crazy. What changed it? I am not quite sure, but I do know that motherhood changed me as a person and challenged my creativity making me moredetermined to never lose my art practice. For once in my life, I have not needed to search far and wide for a subject matter.Being a mother has really allowed me to tune into myself and re appreciate beauty around me, especially in the simple things. I love using my children as a subject matter and often feel like magic has appeared all over again, as theirimagination is something I wish I still had. So to be able to observe and photograph all these elements on a daily basis without them even knowing about, for me is definitely inspirational.

A: what drives you to create?

B: Creativity is something that has always been in my life since a very young age. I am driven daily to create art, whether it is a painting, a drawing or photography. However, being a mother and witnessing the beauty of children has really triggered my imagination at this stage in my life. I am so busy running around in the day that having my iphone on me at all times allows me to take so many photos easily and spontaneously, capturing pure and genuine moments.
Since I bought my first iphone 6 months ago, I immediately downloaded the Hipstamatic App as I had seen a few images from friends that were using it.  From here it was a matter of finding other apps that then allowed me to develop techniques to further edit my images.

I really like to mix up my edits a bit, as I couldn’t think of any worse than be bound to one particular style. My creativity is fuelled by also exposing myself to constant inspiration, whether it is in art galleries, beautiful art books, magazines, researching artists via the internet and of late discovering the world of talent in mobile photography. I think that mobile photography has played a really big role in my creativity over the past 6 months. Its almost like opening a new page to your favourite art book everyday only to discover more and more inspiration and amazing talent.

A: What’s your biggest influence?

B: Right now the biggest influence for my current work is mobile photography without a doubt. I am constantly discovering amazing photography and art on a daily basis. Of course I still find great inspiration with my favourite artists such as Bruno Leti, Godwin Bradbeer, Doug Wright, Matthew Jonhston, and Paul Klee.

As for my influence in Photography outside the Mobile photography world, I would have to say that Bill Henson is my main and biggest influence. However, more recently Christopher Relanders work was suggested by @medes101 who does of a lot of breathtaking and quality double exposure photographs, of which I have also been experimenting with.
As far as influences with mobile photographers on IG  I absolutely love  @jumpstick, @earlybirdninja, @finn, @janske, @_malcome, @saraswebb, and @videotap3….. the list is endless really.

A: Tell me about you outside our pocket world..

B: I live in Australia, in a small town called Castlemaine. I am in my early 30’s with four children aged six and under. Life for me is quite crazy. I am constantly on the move, buttering sandwiches, changing nappies, singing lullaby’s, and in moments of peace I am able to only then concentrate on my iphone photography and editing. This is why it works so well for me, as it’s always accessible. I have developed quite a passion with the art of mobile photography and love IG’s potential to showcase my development with the world. I feel I am connected.

I studied a Fine Arts Painting Degree at University and later went back to University to complete a Diploma in Interior Design and then Teaching. But it was during my Fine Arts Degree that I was tutored by prominent Australian Photographer Dena Lester and other Australian artists. Photography for me is something that I have always been into. However before I got hold of my iphone, I usually used my very basic but wonderful Pentax K1000. I grew up with my own darkroom attached to my home, and pretty much spent my entire teenage and early to mid 20’s in there. My previous photographic work was always of very large scale sometimes taking up a whole wall. I found a great release in expressing myself when I could be encompassed in my development techniques. So to edit and develop my photos on such a tiny mobile screen fascinates me and defiantly comes as a challenge, of which of course I love.

A: What are your thoughts on the longevity of digital art?

B: I believe that mobile photography has come a long way in that people are slowly accepting it as a form of art but it still does has a fair way to go. Even though there is still and probably always will be a certain amount of snobbery towards using an iphone to photograph and edit shots, at the end of the day it is just another tool. It is a camera. And I believe that good photography speaks for itself. I have learnt that anyone can use whatever camera whether it’s an iphone, $3000 camera or $10 disposable to take a photo, but it’s about injecting yourself into your images that makes them speak for themselves. Photographing and editing an image with your mind, heart, hips and soul. It has to come from within and tell the viewer about you as an artist through a means of creative expression.

But considering this type of technology is allowing people universally to felicitate their device and various apps to be creative, I believe it can only a good thing.  And I think it’s only going to get better. The cameras will only get better in terms of resolution and image quality. And hopefully if more work is shown in print in art spaces and galleries worldwide, something that obviously is tangible, then the longevity of digital art will live as long as any other art forms.

About Author

Anna Cox

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