Some artists are inspired by the world around them. Some artists try to recreate the world on canvas or as sculptures. Some artists are not all artists. Everything Beck Metzbower paints comes from her own head.
Metzbower is an abstract artist, and so what she creates is not based on any real-world object. Thickly layering oil paints on canvas, she creates something else entirely; something that is entirely her, Metzbower said.
A Chambersburg resident, Metzbower has featured her work at The Thought Lot and SHAPE Gallery and will have an exhibit in the Edward Day Gallery in Toronto, starting April 23.
Metzbower was asked to be a part of the “Top 40 Artists to Watch” exhibit, which will showcase not only paintings, but also art in print, digital and video formats.
One of Metzbower’s professors from Wilson College, Philip Lindsey, watched his former student grow as an artist, from basic painting and drawing classes, to her final senior project, Lindsey said.
As Metzbower grew, creating art by representing physical objects became unfulfilling, Lindsey said. She began to work more from within and drew from personal exploration to create abstract art.
Although Metzbower does not paint from a model or anything in the physical world, her latest finished paintings, which will be displayed in Toronto’s exhibit, were inspired by her 9-year-old daughter Lillian.
The six paintings that make up her exhibit are each a bold color of the rainbow that come together to create something beautiful, Metzbower said. The exhibit as a whole represents Lillian.
“She inspired me to make something that bold, that colorful,” Metzbower said of her daughter. “It’s a brave piece.”
It takes bravery to create art that bold, she said, but her daughter has shown her how to be brave.
Lillian has faced a lot of difficulties, but she has handled it with grace, Metzbower said, her voice full of admiration for her daughter. The paintings are the first that she has ever dedicated to someone, but Lillian deserves it, Metzbower said.
Most of her paintings are about 5 feet by 5 feet and are piled thick with oil paint, which takes a long time to dry. For one painting, it took three years for the paint to fully harden, Metzbower said.
Even from pictures of Metzbower’s paintings, the paint is three dimensional on the canvas, rising in jagged peaks, rolling in smooth mounds, and delving into deep valleys.
Layering the paint in this way is what gives her work texture and dimension, Metzbower said.
“Every angle shifts the image just a bit and changes the experience for the viewer,” Metzbower said, explaining how when seen from the front or side, it becomes a completely new painting.  
What Metzbower strives for most in her art is to allow viewers to create their own unique interpretations without any prior conceptions created by her as the artist. This is why she does not label her art, but just puts her name and a number next to each piece.
“The beautiful thing is that viewers will tell me what they think of it,” Metzbower said. “They each come up with something very unique,” Metzbower said.
Lindsey is excited for the opportunity Metzbower has to show her work in Toronto, he said, and is also excited to see how his former student will continue to grow and define her voice as an artist.
“I hear a young woman who is discovering herself,” Lindsey said of the voice he hears when he looks at Metzbower’s paintings.

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