A New York native, Bischoff attained a BA in Arts and Education from Adelphi University, NY. In 1977, she moved to Paris where she studied art and photography at the Sorbonne and Ecole du Louvre.
Upon completing her education, she worked as a fashion photographer in Paris, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia which provided the opportunity to travel to exotic locations. She began her fine art landscape series during those travels.
In 1988, Bischoff moved to New York City, where she opened a studio in Soho, and worked for clients such as Conde Nast, Bloomingdales, Rodale Press, Oprah Magazine, Greif Co., Random House, etc.
In 2012, Bischoff began spending several months each year based out of Merida, Mexico. It was there, visiting the ruins, that she began her series of Yucatan temples, the lives that passed through, and how they impacted the environment until the cities were abandoned.
Bischoff works primarily with B/W film cameras, then digitalizing the film and prints on Fine Art paper at Light Works Lab at Syracuse University.
Born 1954, Glen Cove, NY, USA Resides in Gardiner, NY
ARTIST STATEMENT
My photographs are painterly in style, dreamlike, in contrast to the sharp reality of today. Images of humans fused with ancient trees suggesting an intimate connection to the natural world. There is a majesty revealed in an image of these trees and a mystic union of tree roots and flowing earth contours.
I was influenced by the pictorial movement photographers, such as Anne Brigman and Edward Steichen. My images are suggestive rather than literal. They inspire romance and introspection.
In 2012, I spent months at a time traveling around to the ancient cities of the Yucatan. I sensed what it was like to have lived in the villages then, building the grand temples and cities, housing thousands of people. The overuse of their natural resources eventually made the cities unsustainable and they abandoned them. I feel there is a comparison to what’s happening in our world today.
PUBLISHED ESSAYS
Beth Bischoff’s Background
by Edward Aiken
In Light of Nature’s Echo: Photographs of Beth Bischoff
by Robert Blake
Exhibitions
September 8 - October 6, 2022 — “Deep Roots and Many Moons” Reisman Hall Gallery Cazenovia, NY
August 13 - September 25, 2022 — “The Best of Times” Marblehead Arts Association Marblehead, MA
June 17 - July 10, 2021 — “Along The River’s Edge” Thousand Island Arts Clayton, NY
July 11 - August 9, 2019 — “Time Changes Everything” Point of Contact Gallery Syracuse, NY
January 1, 2019 — Mercantile Gallery Syracuse, NY
August 20, 2015 — Photoplace Gallery Middlebury, VT
June 6, 1988 — The Salmagundi Club NYC, NY
April 24, 1978 — “Metamorphoses” Le Salon, Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées Paris, France
Awards
2017 — B/W Spider Award for Recognition of Exceptional Achievement in Photography
1990 — Best of AIGA Award, Birmingham
1982 — Photographers Forum Award of Excellence
1988 — The Salmagundi Club Award of Merit
1998 — Société des Artists Française International Award