Beth Varkala is featured artist at Unity of Sussex County

The paintings of Sparta artist Beth Varkala are now on display in Unity of Sussex County’s Featured Artist Gallery located at 25 Mudcut Road in Lafayette. Her beautiful paintings may be viewed on any Sunday before and after the 11 a.m. service, and during the week on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9a.m. to 2 p.m. until May.

A distinguished artist and teacher

A New Jersey native, Varkala studied art in college and received a BFA from SUNY College at Purchase. She began her art career later in life. After raising her two sons, she decided to become a certified art teacher.

Varkala taught children with autism at the Allegro School in Cedar Knolls and then moved on to teach high school students with learning disabilities at the Deron School in Montclair. While working at the Deron School, she was awarded many accolades, including teacher of the year, and was also awarded many grants to improve the quality of her art program. Her students displayed their artwork annually at the Montclair Library to celebrate Youth Art Month and also won numerous awards at the Craftsman’s Fair at the Ledgewood Mall. Through her affiliation with the Very Special Artists Association, several of Varkala’s students were awarded honors, including the prestigious Governor’s Award.

After retiring from teaching in the school system, Varkala has continued to teach students privately in her Sparta home studio. She also teaches pastel workshops for adults at The Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine as well as an upcoming Unity workshop at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod.

Varkala’s artistic career continues to evolve. Her passion for painting mostly involves pastels because of the immediacy of the medium. She developed a loyal following of collectors and has been asked to do many commissioned pieces. Her work was exhibited in many shows, including The Pastel Societies of New Jersey, Maine and Cape Cod, as well as the Degas Pastel Society. She also received many awards for her paintings, including best in show and best in category.

Her travels throughout New England are the inspirations for many of her paintings. She concentrates mainly in landscape, seascapes and figurative works. Varkala is a distinguished member of The Pastel Society of New Jersey. Her work can be viewed on her website at www.bethvarkala.com

About Unity of Sussex County

Unity of Sussex County is an open spiritual community fostering creative expression. Its Featured Artist Series was created to provide local artists with a venue to exhibit their work while providing an opportunity to enjoy art in a relaxed, contemplative setting. Local artists and photographers wishing to display and sell their work in its gallery should contact the gallery coordinator at wendystamer@yahoo.com.