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In this age of illegal wiretapping and 9/11 conspiracy theories, it’s a wonder that Beth Ames Swartz admits she hides subliminal messages in her art. No worries; this isn’t They Live, so there won’t be any commands to “obey” or “marry and reproduce.” The colorful paintings in the Paradise Valley...

By Wynter Holden

December 18, 2008

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In this age of illegal wiretapping and 9/11 conspiracy theories, it’s a wonder that Beth Ames Swartz admits she hides subliminal messages in her art. No worries; this isn’t They Live, so there won’t be any commands to “obey” or “marry and reproduce.”

The colorful paintings in the Paradise Valley artist’s new “Beth Ames Swartz: The Word in Paint” exhibit actually contain verses by several ASU students and ancient Chinese poets Li Bai and Du Fu. “Viewers may recognize [that] a message lays buried behind the paint,” says Swartz, “but that message remains unreadable in its entirety, even when examined closely.”

Nov. 21-Dec. 23; Dec. 26-30; Jan. 2-Feb. 13, 2008

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