Driftwood Reimagined
georgetown, ma
What is Crooked Mind Design?
Crooked Mind Design is an apt description for Betsy Amsel’s artistic endeavors. Her unconventional, one-of-a-kind driftwood creatures reflect a love of nature and a quirky point of view.
Based in Georgetown, Massachusetts, Betsy spends much of the winter searching for driftwood on nearby beaches. Back in her studio, she works with the natural lines of each piece, identifying the often-curious creature within. She also incorporates a variety of found objects—discovered in junkyards, parking lots or wherever she happens to be—while making exuberant use of color.
Her work, including fish, birds and unusual faces, is featured in a diverse range of galleries and shops and enjoyed by collectors in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
About the Artist
Betsy Amsel is a country girl at heart, growing up at the edge of her grandparents’ farm in central New Jersey. An artistic child, she enjoyed drawing and creating projects using natural materials from the fields and meadows around her home. She continued to pursue her art through high school, then switched gears to earn a degree in broadcasting and film from Boston University’s College of Communication.
After a stint at a Boston TV station, Betsy became a marketing writer, holding positions in the publishing, high tech and financial industries. Art continued to beckon, however, and she eventually turned to oil painting on the side.
Betsy has since left the corporate world and now focuses on her sizeable garden and other creative projects. She also continues to work in marketing as a writer and sales rep for a noted artisan jeweler. As for her art, Betsy’s primary focus these days is on driftwood—the pleasures of collecting it and producing colorful, amusing and eccentric designs.
Featured Driftwood Creations
Crooked Mind Design
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