Catalina: 'The Wild Side' Artist of the Week: Bye Bitney

2013-04-17
Catalina Island Conservancy

Bye Bitney returns as a featured artist for the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale, scheduled for June 21-22, 2013, at the beautiful Catalina Island Country Club. He had shown his works in the inaugural Wild Side in 2011.

Bitney is a contemporary artist and fourth generation Montanan. A largely self-taught painter, he began showing in major galleries at age 22. Art critics praised his keen draftsman's eye and expert use of muted colors. His works include portraits, figural work, landscapes and still lifes. Bitney's paintings feature ocean, sky, people, animals and flowers.

He says he learned the art of painting largely through independent study based on a collection of fine art books, which are among his most cherished possessions. He has also studied the works of many favorite 19th- and 20th-century representational and impressionistic painters.

Bitney says he feels fortunate to earn his living by doing something that is so much fun, and that his biggest challenge in painting is satisfying his own expectations. He lives on the western shore of Flathead Lake, Montana, with his wife Kay.

Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale
Eleven nationally acclaimed plein air artists will display their interpretations of Catalina's rugged wildlands as well as Avalon and Two Harbors at the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale on June 21-22. The art-filled weekend will begin with a special Artists Preview Dinner on June 21, the Friday evening before the show, at a private residence in Avalon, Catalina Island. The afternoon of Saturday, June 22, the show – featuring more than 100 plein air paintings – will take place at the Catalina Island Country Club, followed by an optional prix fixe dinner. Tickets for the show and the dinners are available online.