Beth Shields

Beth Shields

Beth Shields is a distinguished abstract artist whose work has captivated collectors and audiences worldwide. Based in Santa Cruz, California, Beth has dedicated her life to artistic exploration, creating dynamic and thought-provoking pieces that delve into the complexities of the human experience. From an early age, Beth felt an innate drive to create, leading her to pursue formal studies in painting, sculpture, and graphic arts at UCLA. Over the years, she has built a successful career as a fine artist, exhibiting extensively while maintaining creative autonomy. She embraces risk and innovation in her artistic practice, seeing each piece as part of an ongoing quest for meaning and expression. Her art has been collected by major corporations, luxury hotels, and private collectors across the globe. She has also been an integral part of Santa Cruz’s vibrant art scene, participating in Open Studios for over 25 years and contributing to numerous exhibitions and community events.

Selected Collections:

Corporate: IBM, TRW, Hughes Aircraft, Visa USA, American Savings, Fidelity Savings, Metropolitan Life, Coldwell Banker, The Sutro Corp., Sitmar Cruise Lines, Brentwood Associates, Mitsu Bank, McCambridge and Dexler, Comptroller of the Currency, San Diego Credit Union, Bailes and Associates, and more.

Hotels: Cable Beach Hotel (Bahamas), Ana Hotel (Tokyo, Japan), Maxims (Palm Springs), The Bel Air Hotel, and Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, and Hyatt Hotels worldwide.

Through her bold approach to abstraction, Beth Shields continues to push creative boundaries, offering viewers a glimpse into the profound and ever-evolving dialogue between art and emotion.

EDUCATION

1976

Bachelor of Arts in Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts

University of California, Los Angeles

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Corporate Collections

IBM, TRW, Hughes Aircraft, Visa USA, American Savings, Fidelity Savings, Metropolitan Life, Coldwell Banker, The Sutro Corporation, Sitmar Cruise Lines, Brentwood Associates, Mitsu Bank, McCambridge and Dexler, Comptroller of the Currency, San Diego Credit Union, Bailes and Associates, and others.

Hotel Collections

Cable Beach Hotel, Bahamas; Ana Hotel, Tokyo, Japan; Maxims, Palm Springs, CA; Bel Air Hotel, Los Angeles, CA; Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, and Hyatt Hotels in locations worldwide.

Private Collections

Joe Spano and Joan Zerrien; Gary Goldberg and Diana Meehan; Nathalie de la Roziere; Lynni Hutton; Solanges Dione; Dr. Richard Ellenbogen; Diane Lindsay; Mark McGuire; Dr. Joan Johnson; Stilson Snow; Dr. Beverly Dalby; Mr. & Mrs. Charles Eadie; Chris Leone; Christina Floyd; Carolyn Biddick & Alisa Van Dissen; Suzanne Dowling & Marsha Keefer; Debra Duhamel & Martha Zimet; Mary Offerman; Claire Sanders; Gary Reese and Rini Van Every; Anna Oneglia; Lisa Ford; and others.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2025


  • 50/50 Exhibition - Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA

  • Here to Eternity - MK Contemporary, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Whatever Show - PVA Gallery, Watsonville, CA

  • 480 Lighthouse Gallery, Pacific Grove, CA

  • Ongoing exhibition at Gallery 125, Tannery Arts Center, Santa Cruz, CA

2024


  • Ties That Bind - MK Contemporary, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Take Aways - PVA Gallery, Watsonville, CA

2023


  • One Woman Show - Oswald, Santa Cruz, CA

2022


  • 12 x 12 - Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, CA

  • Take Aways - Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery

2021


  • Exhibitionist - Curated Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Art Salon at The Triton - Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA

  • In These Uncertain Times - Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA

2020


  • Driven to Abstraction - Vargas Gallery, Santa Clara, CA

2019


  • 20/60 Women Artists in Their Prime - Blitzer Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

2018


  • Abstract Santa Cruz - Blitzer Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

2016


  • Color! - Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery

  • Energy and Stillness - Santa Cruz Art League

2015


  • Elemental: Earth, Air, Water, Fire - Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA

2012


  • Tannery Creative Arts Center Opening

2011


  • Art Hang - Santa Cruz, CA

  • Pacific Trading Company, Santa Cruz, CA

2010


  • Stripe - Santa Cruz, CA

  • Oswald, Santa Cruz, CA

2009


  • Pearl Canyon Gallery, Carmel, CA

  • Many Hands Gallery, Capitola, CA

2008


  • Art for Art (Group Invitational) - Mill Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Santa Cruz County Bank Arts Collaborative: Abstractions

  • Lawrence Gallery, Portland, OR

2003


  • Monterey Museum of Art Juried Exhibition, Monterey, CA

2002


  • Exemplary Contemporary - Smith Gallery, UC Santa Cruz

2001


  • Monterey Museum of Art Juried Exhibition, Monterey, CA

2000


  • Many Hands Gallery, Capitola, CA

1998


  • Many Hands Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

1997


  • Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA

1996


  • Santa Cruz County Art Museum, Santa Cruz, CA

1995


  • Galleria Tonantzin, San Juan Bautista, CA

1994


  • Many Hands Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

1991


  • Ella Grey Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA

1986


  • Los Angeles City Hall Rotunda Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1984


  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA

PARTICIPATION, APPOINTMENTS & RECOGNITION


  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art Rental Gallery

  • Santa Cruz County Art Museum Rental Gallery

  • The Splat Art Tour (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

  • Santa Cruz County Open Studio Tour (annually from 1992–2024)

  • Art & Chocolate Tour Invitational (2008, 2009, 2011)

  • Member, Art 4 Art Invitational (2008, 2010)

  • Santa Cruz County Open Studio Committee (2005–2008)

  • Tannery Arts Artists Advisory Committee (2006–2011)

  • Rydell Arts Fellowship Nominee (2008, 2013)

  • Board of Directors, Pajaro Valley Arts (2015–2020)

  • Vice President, Pajaro Valley Arts Board (2015–2016)

Since my first crayon at three, I’ve known that drawing and painting are my path. Art reveals itself only when I risk searching, and in that search I find my purpose.
— Beth Shields
Artist
Since my first crayon at three, I’ve known that drawing and painting are my path. Art reveals itself only when I risk searching, and in that search I find my purpose.
— Beth Shields
Artist

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Behind the Art

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Arrow VIEW ALL
{

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Abstract Painter
Portuguese

Rita Matos (b. 1988) is a Portuguese-born, London-based mixed media artist whose intuitive, layered abstractions explore memory, presence, and transformation through expressive mark-making and evolving surface compositions....

{

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Javiera da Fonseca Ilić (b. 1982, Santiago de Chile) is a Chilean-born, Mexico-based abstract artist whose work explores the interplay of memory, dreams, and energy through material experimentation and investigations of the connection between inner and natural worlds...

{

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{

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Cedric Vu (b. 1996) is a French-Vietnamese contemporary visual artist born and raised in San Jose, California. From 2014 to 2023, he lived in Los Angeles, where he studied filmmaking, worked as a dancer, and held a range of production roles in film and...

{

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French-American

Christiane Corcelle is a French-American mixed media artist based in Massachusetts. Her intuitive, layered practice spans painting, printmaking, collage, and de-collage, building richly textured surfaces that invite close exploration. Guided by curiosity and...

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{

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