“Greetings” – Studio Artist Spotlight: Anne Carpenter

Greetings
Studio Artist Spotlight: Anne Carpenter
January 6 – February 27, 2026

Bethany Arts Community is spotlighting our studio artists for two-month periods, located in our first floor studio artist hallway entry (next to the performance space). Studio Artists are invited to curate and show their works throughout the year.

Greetings
I’ve been taking pictures for a long time. Come to think of it, it was probably 45 years ago or so that I received a cool little red point and shoot as a Christmas gift from my parents. 27 years ago, I bought myself my first 35mm SLR with a telephoto lens just before hopping on a plane to the Canadian Rockies for my honeymoon so I wouldn’t miss capturing those majestic views.

Later on, I had some fun with a digital SLR, including taking it to my favorite music spot where I’d try to capture the musicians moving fast in low light. Looking back, it’s clear that I was often trying to get the close-up details, even from far away. When I finally started taking photos with a smartphone, I let go of the fact that I’d never learned the technical skills it takes to master photographing with a “real” camera. Because my phone was with me all the time, I simply started the practice of stopping whenever I saw something that interested me, taking the shot, and editing it later to create a picture that felt good to me. I continue to do that 10+ years later and still love doing it. If there’s an image you see here that you’d like to have in a larger size or if you’d like to see photos I have of other subjects, please contact me through my website (AnneorAnnie.com) or e-mail me directly at AnnieBCarpenter1@gmail.com.

Why Bethany
Bethany appeared on my radar when a friend invited me to a gathering of Ossining artists back in 2017 or 2018. When the founder, David Lyons, came in and told us all about his vision for BAC and that they had artist studios available, I must have tucked that information into my pocket because sometime in the middle of 2019, the idea of having a space of my own to create in came to me. I didn’t know what I was going to create exactly, but I felt like I needed to be there. I had no idea then what an amazing community, full of opportunities, Bethany was and would grow to be. I have sung in the performance space, shown my work in the galleries, taught a class to some really great kids and best of all, I’ve gotten to be part of a magical family.