A native of San Diego, California, Betty Blount specializes in painting landscapes and seascapes. "Capturing light in a painting is an exciting challenge", she says, "and a painting should always bring out some emotion in the viewer. I paint about something the way I want the viewer to feel about it rather than just what is there. This allows me to create a more dramatic composition with colors that are as rich as I want to use."

Artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, John Constable and Thomas Cole have always inspired her. They were all experts in the use of color, light and shadow. She feels that one of the most exciting challenges is capturing that feeling of light in a painting. When she is painting, she is not trying to paint a message, but to give the viewer enjoyment by creating a scene that shows the beauty of our world.

"I may sometimes paint plein-aire (paintings on location) and do an accurate layout of that particular place, or I may decide to sketch out a composition that I am imagining that day.