apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The site (and the ad in Dwell) both seem pretty straightforward to me, unless I'm missing something. As far as I can tell, Beth Tom is a painter who paid for ad space in Dwell.

(What's mysterious about her website?)

...just an artist taking out an ad to advertise their work. no mystery as far as i can tell.

Her website is hilarious! Thanks for calling attention to it.

And her paintings are fun, too. I like the slideshow of her place.

I was crossing Broadway westward on Spring Street last Friday and spotted Beth Tom. BT was walking briskly from Soho, toward me. It was sunset. The straddling of geographic barrier, and day and night, seemed an ideal circumstance to encounter “Beth Tom” whose very name reflects the creative ambivalence found in her – yes, her – fecund paintings.

She wore a plaid hunter’s jacket, red and black, probably LL Bean. Possibly from the days when Bean was catalog only. Either that, or the Maine based company has decided to return to its original, more patrician styling, and Beth Tom was fast on the uptake. Underneath the jacket she wore a white sweatshirt, which had an embossed, raised graphic of a two mast trawler and frothing waves, under a curling script “Martha’s Vineyard”. Her head swiveled on the white turtleneck, possibly Ralph Lauren but not excluding another brand involving a small squiggled insignia. A similar mimicry can be found in nature, such as the poisonous coral snake and its twin, non toxic, scarlet king snake. She was wearing two gold chains.

I removed my phone as subtly as possible, as though I was making a call, but of course my intention was to hunt, shoot, and capture the visage of Beth Tom, not relay words over my Verizon Mobile account. Digitally seized, I could share her face with millions. The situation was similar to the Danny Boyle movie, “Millions.” The movie’s protagonist obtains a bag of currency by chance and attempts to help the less fortunate by giving the money away. This is a reversal of the plot in Boyle’s movie “Shallow Grave,” in which the characters scheme to obtain a bag of money.

Beth Tom’s jaw was working like wound by rubber bands. What was she thinking? Was she experiencing that well-known up swell of spirit that follows after one’s name is mentioned in Dwell Magazine?

The orange glow of the setting sun poured up from the buildings on the far West side, where the Misshapes party recently concluded its well noted run. A channel of sunshine aligned with Spring Street. Beth Tom’s side panel of an oddly feathered hair style shined like an airplane wing dipped to the sun, even as a shadow of worry crosses her eyes. She registered my approach, and no doubt struggled to decide if I was some friendly aborigine, grasping for a scalp, or some googly eyed kook, thin limbs akimbo and a mouth like a door in the sidewalk. I would prefer to preclude BT from responding, “both,” but knowing her proclivity to deconstruct false binary assumptions, I was out of luck. She stopped, spun, and tied to duck into Kate’s Paperie at the last moment, only to discover that it relocated in June due to rising rents and is due to be replaced by a MNG by MANGO store. Two very strong thumbs up for MANGO by the way, whose autumn/winter 07/08 collection is being launched by Penelope and Monica Cruz. More on this soon.

Rick, I feel like I'm reading a transcript from Joe Frank's radio show.

lol Anna

Joe Frank would never name-drop so egregiously. Oh how I miss Joe Frank.

in the rooms, it looks like the paintings are photoshopped in.

I just wanna know about that kitchen.

I think the web site is trying just a tad too hard to come off as "fringe artist", someone I would *not* expect to advertise in Dwell, or anywhere for that matter.

The whole "Artist Statement" link solely to mock artist's statements, case in point.

gosh... that seems kinda harsh. i don't mean to be an asshole. maybe i should try to change my website?

but it's cool y'all are talking about my work!

keep on keepin' on everybody!

peace!

beth tom