The colors of the ocean, local scenes, and the memories of the lifetime of local artist Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap (1926-2023) are on display at the Center Moriches Library.
Barn and Farm Pond, Painted in Pawling, NY. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Young Girl Looking for Shells. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
“As a teenager, my mother filled her sketchbook with charcoal drawings of fashion designs,” said Betty’s daughter, Donna Dunlap Brown, who curated the exhibit. “She was stylish and always had quite the wardrobe. She also designed and sewed clothes for my brothers and me."
The artist’s daughter, Donna Dunlop Brown, curated the exhibit of her mother’s work at the Center Moriches Library. Credit: Robert Chartuk
Betty’s artistic eye soon turned to the outdoors: rivers and lakes and especially the ocean. Many of her oil paintings are of waves breaking on boulders or cresting on the beach. “She viewed her paintings as never done, considering them works in progress, often adding new details years later,” Donna noted. “She sought the perfect wave, the perfect light, the perfect gull in flight,” she said of her mom, who always had her wooden briefcase with painting supplies nearby.
Fisherman in Boat with Birch Tree. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Learning the names of colors in kindergarten, Donna remembers that what her kindergarten teacher called "brown," the artist's daughter identified as "burnt umber."
Waves in Turquoise. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Because Betty's father was a U.S. Coast Guard commander, she grew up in the coastal cities of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts. She met her husband when they were students at Boston University. He became a Methodist minister, so his career took them to various locations, including many days vacationing at Epworth by the Sea in St. Simons, Georgia.
Betty earned a bachelor's degree from Boston’s College of Practical Arts and Letters and a master's degree in counseling from Long Island University. In all, Betty lived in 32 cities and towns throughout her life, the last 48 years in East Moriches. During that time, for 17 years, she worked for the Suffolk County Office for the Aging, retiring as a supervisor.
Mt. Ranier Near Kirkland, Washington. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Gazebo at Camp Quinipet, Jennings Point, Shelter Island, NY. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Foamy White Waves Crashing on Black Rocks. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Waves Breaking on Rocks. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
White Heron, Sailboat, Tall Grass, & Seagulls. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Lighthouse and Sailboats. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Live Oak Tree with Hanging Spanish Moss, St. Simon's Island, Georgia. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Apples and Strawberries. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Sand Dunes and Red Fencing. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Three Sailboats with Yellow Sails. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Snowy Boston Park. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Louisburg Square, Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap
Louisburg Square, Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: Elizabeth "Betty" Jordan Dunlap