About Betty Jacobsen

Betty Jacobsen is an artist and an educator. Trained in NYU and Montclair State University, she has been teaching advanced-level art classes at Hunterdon Central Regional High School since 1986. Along with her passion for art and education, she has a deep interest in nature, as she views nature and the natural world as personal metaphors for the cycles of life. Her process for her work often starts with observing nature; sometimes her work flows from the unconscious, and sometimes her interpretations from her observations are more literal.  

Her work is quietly intimate, and she is interested in drawing viewers into a private world, as though they are reading a book or examining something closely in their hands. Over the last ten years, she has created a multitude of smaller works that can stand alone, but can also make a larger statement when viewed together. She uses humble materials such as paper, watercolor, thread, feathers, and pen to created three-dimensional pieces by folding. In “The Walk” series, Jacobsen found feathers while strolling through nature, and featured them in works of paper, watercolor, and sewing thread. The hundred triptychs made by folding paper, with ovals of various colors, highlight the beauty of these found feathers.  


New Brunswick Art Salon 2020: “Life Distilled”

Email: jacobse@herhs.org


Artist Statement

My artwork starts from my observations of nature and poetically celebrates my day-today life. Sometimes the work flows from the unconscious; at other times my interpretation is more literal.  My work is quietly intimate in size.  I am interested in drawing the viewer into my world, as though reading a book, or holding something in one’s hand and examining it closely.  The space between the work and viewer can be a private world. 

For the past ten years I’ve been interested in creating a lot of small works that can stand alone, yet create a larger visual statement when viewed together.  The repetition and relationship among parts is what excites me. Each series takes an idea and explores it through the consistency of size and media.  Humble materials such as paper, watercolor, sewing thread, feathers and pen have worked their way into three-dimensional pieces through folding.  

While walking I often found feathers along my path. In reference to their beauty I created the 100 small paper triptychs shown here to house these treasures using ten families of color.