Betty Davenport Ford has achieved a national reputation as one of the West Coast’s preeminent sculptors and teachers. Betty has established a well-deserved place in 20 th Century sculpture with her unique style that reflects her deep understanding and love of nature. In creating a sculpture, she is able to simplify and capture the essence of a creature so it evokes an instinctive response of recognition and appreciation from viewers of all kinds.
In this age when sculpture is often distorted by extreme experiments, Betty’s work is a refreshing return to a simplified, classic reality and honest craftsmanship.
You are welcome to her web site where you can share her unique perception of nature’s beauty.
This quotation from an article written by Janice Loovos for American Artist Magazine gives a brief summary of Betty’s philosophy: "My approach to my work begins and ends with this fact, I love life; I am thrilled by the beauty of living things, as I am sure are most human beings. I am also fascinated by the strangeness and even the ugliness of their forms. I am an artist because I must express my feelings for these things in tangible form. I believe there may be other human beings interested in what I have to say and eager to share it. Yet I would be impelled to give dimension to my feelings were there none to see, for in expressing an idea - in the work itself - I find the purest joy. "This poem by Robert Bridges, which I have always loved, states exactly and with great simplicity what I too, feel about my work;
I love all beauteous things,
I seek and I adore them
God hath no better praise,
And man, in his hasty days,
Is honored for them
I too will something make,
And joy in the making,
Though tomorrow it may seem
Like the empty words of a dream
Remembered on waking."
A Very Brief Summary of the Artist's Life
At age 4 Betty created birds out of crayolas that she warmed in the sun. At age 16 she won a prize for carving a bear and cub in sandstone.
Upon graduation from Scripps College, where she had studied with Albert Stewart, she became the youngest artist ever invited to show their work at the prestegious Dalzell Hatfield Gallery. She then studied with Maija Grotell at Cranbrook Art Academy where she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1950.
By browsing through The "Commissions and Installations" section of the web site you can get a picture of the breadth and depth of the work that she has done.
She has also raised a family, taught sculpture classes and won numerous awards. For a more detailed account of her life and work, please refer to her book,"The Sculpture of Betty Davenport Ford."
