Having grown up in a rural area of Maryland just outside of Washington, D.C., Betsy Gosheff Scible was an early and frequent visitor to the National Gallery of Art. She credits much of her knowledge of and love for painting with the inspiration these great works of art provided.

Betsy graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore. She worked for many years as a freelance illustrator for Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Missouri, producing images bound for England, Belgium, and Australia as well as the United States. During this period she also produced more personal works, including paintings that were exhibited in nationally juried shows, namely: The Society of Illustrator's Annual, New York, N.Y., and the National Parks System's "Arts for the Parks" shows, which toured the United States. She was awarded Second place in the regional juried exhibit "Expressions," in Herndon, Virginia. Her portrait paintings are in the collections of numerous private clients.

Betsy considers art a lifelong learning process, and she continues to hone her skills through private study and life drawing sessions. She also attended an Advanced Painting workshop at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, Pa. (founded by Leona and Nelson Shanks) under instructor Stephen Early.

Betsy's strong connection to nature is reflected in her work, which is a celebration of the beauty of nature—both human and otherwise. Her work includes landscape painting and wildlife painting as well as figurative and portrait painting. She considers portraiture and figurative painting to be the ultimate challenge for an artist, and seeks to capture in her portraits not only a recognizable likeness, but the spirit and presence of the individual.

Betsy Gosheff Scible is a Certified Member of the Maryland Society of Portrait Painters, and a member of the Portrait Society of America and Oil Painters of America. She currently lives with her husband and son near Annapolis, Maryland.

Oil portraits are painted on finest quality Belgian linen using professional quality oils and archival techniques.

Head and Shoulders $2,500 to $3,000
(20"x16" to 24"x20")

Half Figure with Hands $3,500 to $4,000
(28"x20" to 40"x30")

Three-Quarter Length $4,500 to $7,000
(36"x24" to 60"x40")

Full Figure $5,500 to $10,000
(40"x28" to 80"x50")

Dimensions listed are examples of approximate area of canvas only, and are flexible. Prices listed are for plain or very simple backgrounds. Detailed backgrounds add an additional $500 to $2,500 depending on the size and complexity of the portrait. Smaller sizes listed would generally be for children, as I usually paint the portrait life size, or just slightly smaller. Adding a second figure in the portrait would add an additional 75% to the cost. Extensive travel expense is also extra.

Graphite or charcoal portraits on paper are also an option. Prices starting at $500.