Anastessia Bettas is an art student based in Toronto, Canada, and specializes in creating distinctive encaustic and mixed media paintings. She has a formal education in art history, fine arts and business.
Before becoming an art student, Anastessia worked as a marketing executive accomplishing extraordinary success in strategic marketing initiatives, operations and account management. In her last corporate position, she was the Head of Marketing Operations at AOL Canada Inc.
Her first exposure to encaustic painting was at OCAD in 2001 for an introductory encaustic course taught by Mike Hansen. "I was attracted to using wax as a painting medium so that I could work spontaneously and build texture in seconds. I had long admired artists such as Jasper Johns and Brice Marden and wanted to learn how the use of this ancient medium would help me develop as a modern abstract painter. What I love most about using encaustic is the textural effect that is achieved through using layers of thick paint. I enjoy carving into the works like a piece of sculpture."
Anastessia has recently completed a series of komboloi inspired artwork and also enjoys to paint figurative works of art using encaustic, charcoal and ink. Her paintings explore disparate elements in nature and still life composition but are not rooted in time or place. Contrasting elements in colour and image juxtapose to express unusual and vibrant harmonies, qualities which themselves become the subject of the work.
Komboloi Drawings and Paintings
(Greek worry beads; pronounced comb-bo-loy; meaning group of knots)
My drawings are inspired by childhood memories of my grandfather’s
“komboloi” – worry beads that he flipped and passed through his fingers to relieve stress and tension. I want to convey the alleviation of stress and worry in my drawings by using abstract komboloi motifs while focusing on line quality and movement.
Group Exhibits
NEW! 1st Annual Emerging Artist Show, Gallery 1313, Toronto; January 2012
Launch Projects Gallery, Toronto; February, 2009
Square Foot, AWOL Gallery, Toronto; 2006
Square Foot, AWOL Gallery, Toronto; 2005
Toronto School of Art gallery and open house; 2005-2011
Commissioned encaustic portraits welcomed.
