Tom Betts
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tombettsart.bsky.social
Tom Betts
@tombettsart.bsky.social
40 followers 18 following 60 posts
California artist known for hyperrealism. Represented by Plus One in London, Dawson Cole in Carmel, and Thomas Anthony in Park City.
https://linktr.ee/tombetts
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tombettsart.bsky.social
“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Constellation and Cups, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #lagunabeach #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
December 14, 2025 at 4:24 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Joshua Tree grows only in the Mojave Desert, one or two inches per year, for hundreds of years.

Joshua Tree and Cup, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #joshuatree #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
December 7, 2025 at 4:17 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Sagebrush, artemisia tridentata, derived from the Ancient Greek Ἄρτεμις or Ártemis, the goddess of the wilderness.

Sagebrush and Cups, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #lagunabeach #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
November 30, 2025 at 4:41 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Ocotillo comes from the Nahuatl word ocotl, referring to a torch. The plants usually appear spiny and dead but grow leaves and bright flowers soon after rain.

Ocotillo and Flowers, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
November 22, 2025 at 5:34 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“Nature is always more subtle, more intricate, more elegant than what we are able to imagine.” – Carl Sagan

Rockets and Flowers, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #lagunabeach #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
November 16, 2025 at 4:20 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The golden ratio, sectio aurea in Latin, is thought to be the "divine proportion" in both art and nature.

Conch and Flowers, oil on panel, 12 x 12 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #goldenratio #lagunabeach #californiaart #tombetts
November 9, 2025 at 4:13 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“It is not so much where my motivation comes from but rather how it manages to survive.” – Louise Bourgeois

Laguna Palm and Flowers, oil on panel, 20 x 16 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #lagunabeach #californiaart #tombetts
November 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Traveling, oil on panel, 18 x 17 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #tombetts
October 26, 2025 at 3:07 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Latin vāde mēcum, meaning "go with me," refers to something a person carries for frequent or regular use. Wading requires us to carry only what is most useful.

Wading, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #tombetts
October 19, 2025 at 4:10 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Two perspectives of knowledge, shared traditions, and reflected inspirations.

Tea for Two, oil on panel, 18 x 17 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #tombetts
October 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Water reflects the setting sun, and the tea cup reflects an identity.

Shimmering Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

On view at Thomas Anthony Gallery in #ParkCity

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism#utahart #californiaart #tombetts
October 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
"The soul requires Sisyphean patience for its song. Time, Hippocrates remarked, is short and art is long.” – Charles Baudelaire

Patient Tea, oil on panel, 18 x 17 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #tombetts
September 28, 2025 at 3:20 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“Who is staring at the sea is already sailing a little." – Paul Carvel

Visiting Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #tombetts
September 21, 2025 at 2:36 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Any vessel contains a kind of knowledge. Traditions, values, and aspirations are moveable.

Tumultuous Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

On view at Dawson Cole in #Carmel

#hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #carmelbythesea #pebblebeach #californiaart #tombetts
September 14, 2025 at 3:33 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Ancient Greek θησαυρός, or thēsaurós, refers to treasure or wealth. In Latin, thēsaurus refers to dictionaries or encyclopedias. Language is one way to preserve value.

Treasured Tea, oil on panel, 28 x 30 inches

#hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
September 7, 2025 at 3:52 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
On view in the Summer Group Show at Plus One Gallery in London until September 10:

Lost in the Desert with Glass and Cups, oil on panel, 36 x 24 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #plusonegallery #london #tombetts
August 31, 2025 at 4:22 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“It's silly not to hope. It's a sin, he thought.” – Ernest Hemingway

Transient Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #hemingway #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
August 24, 2025 at 3:30 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Latin tempestas, for storm, derives from tempus, referring to time. Everything is seasonal.

Tempestuous Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #carmel #pebblebeach #californiaart #tombetts
August 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“The world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb... Chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge, even wisdom. Like art.” – #ToniMorrison
Shattered Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18
#hyperrealism #magicrealism #tombetts
August 10, 2025 at 3:06 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Two cups floating in the gray sea. The Great Salt Lake, to be exact.

Affectionate Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #greatsaltlake #utahart #californiaart #tombetts
August 3, 2025 at 3:20 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Ancient Greek χρῡσός refers either to gold or something dear or precious.

Golden Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts
July 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
The Ancient Greek ἐφήμερος or ephḗmeros refers to something transitory, lasting just for a day.

Ephemeral Tea, oil on panel, 28 x 30 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts​
July 20, 2025 at 4:15 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Desolate Tea, oil on panel, 28 x 30 inches

#hyperrealism #magicrealism #palmsprings #californiaart #tombetts​
July 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Cerulean blue pigment, cobalt stannate, is named from the Latin caeruleus, or caelum, referring to the sky or heaven.

Blue Tea, oil on panel, 28 x 30 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #cerulean #tombetts​
July 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM
tombettsart.bsky.social
Clouds - νέφος in Ancient Greek, नभस् or nábhas in Sanskrit - might be the most ephemeral things in nature.

Cloud Tea, oil on panel, 17 x 18 inches

#oilpainting #hyperrealism #magicrealism #superrealism #realism #californiaart #london #tombetts​
June 29, 2025 at 2:53 PM