How do you describe someone who has an engineering Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, and who paints angels riding escalators to the heavens? Who is fascinated by the geometry of bathrooms? Who is inspired by alligators? That’s my friend (and cousin by marriage), Bette Blank.  

We met in Brooklyn in the seventh grade. We shared a love of bicycling, Coney Island and talking endlessly about boys. Bette had a love of making things. Her family encouraged her artistic creativity, which was nurtured by classes at the Brooklyn Museum.  

Life hinges on coincidences. In Bette’s case, her future was changed when I introduced her to my cousin, Stu. He lived on the second floor of the house where my family lived on the first floor. He was older and had different friends, but Bette thought he was cute. When Bette visited me, it didn’t occur to me that she was also hoping to see Stu.  

Our lives diverged when we went off to different colleges, although they intersected when Bette married Stu and became part of my extended family. More than a half century later, in a portrait she painted of me, the words in the background describe the color of my bedroom furniture when we were 13. She also recalls the sweater sets arranged neatly in my drawers, the many books I read and my being a finalist in the Science Talent Search. Her recall of colors and events astounds me.  

Bette is not the type of person who would fit into a structured job in a hierarchical organization. She had to invent a role that fit her individuality. With all her engineering, math, chemistry and physics courses as a backdrop, she created that career by founding a course, “Dr. Blank’s Review,” to prepare students for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). She continued to develop her art by taking workshops at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts; the Center for Visual Art in Summit, New Jersey; and the Woodstock School of Art in New York. Frequent trips from Madison, New Jersey, to the museums and galleries in Manhattan gave her broad exposure to the New York art scene.  

Bette finds inspiration in everyday objects and events. Whether the subject is a nail salon, a dentist’s office, a salami sandwich or a pair of pajamas, when seen through Bette’s eyes the ordinary becomes infused with humor and a new perspective. The titles are tongue in cheek: “The Sushi Palace” for a Japanese restaurant, “Annunciation of the War in Iraq (Temple of Nails II)” for a nail salon (see President George Bush on the TV screen making the announcement). 

Family plays a large role in Bette’s life and art. Her mother’s condo in Hollywood, Florida, inspired a painting of a woman soaking in a tub in a geometrically tiled bathroom, with palm trees and the sky visible through a small window. The details include red nail polish on the bather’s toes, strong patterns and bold colors. The electric blue stripes tell you about Bette. She is not a shrinking violet. 

Visiting Florida inspired several paintings of alligators. Her imagination and sense of humor are evident as she describes how to avoid an encounter with an alligator in “American Alligator.”  

Portraits of icons of popular culture are frequent subjects (Marilyn Monroe, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Ayn Rand), as well as members of the family. Each of these has Bette’s personal touch. 

In “Marilyn Refrigerator” a black-and-white photo of Marilyn Monroe is clipped to the top of Bette’s open refrigerator, which is filled with everyday groceries. In “Einstein,” the scientist, with his white hair and beard and red sweater, are contrasted with a blackboard full of obscure equations. An image of Sigmund Freud is placed against titles of his books and theories.  

After 30 years of teaching and running her business, Bette made up her mind that it was time to turn her full attention to painting. She “retired” to paint full time more than 20 years ago. 

Bette has paintings in the permanent collections of the Jewish Museum in New York, the Hunterdon Art Museum in New Jersey, the Fine Prints Collection of the Newark Public Library, New Jersey, plus many private collections. Bette has been represented by Gallery Schlesinger, New York; and now by Adam Baumgold Fine Art in New York.  

Bette believes that she could not have started out as an artist. Her paintings reflect life experiences she simply didn’t have when she started.  

I’m waiting to find out what comes next. 

For more of Bette Blank’s art, go to betteblank.com or Instagram at betteblank. 
 

Sandy Teger has been a full-time resident of Sanibel since 2011. Her previous articles for TOTI Media have focused on technologies such as telemedicine and autonomous vehicles.