Meet Artist Bess Auer

Bess Auer is a Florida-based gallery artist working in painting and sculpture. A fourth-generation Floridian, her work is rooted in the landscapes, plant life, and visual traditions of Old Florida.

A fourth-generation Floridian, her paintings are inspired by the legacy of the Florida Highwaymen and the work of A. E. Backus, drawing on their reverence for light, land, and atmosphere while maintaining a contemporary voice. Her work has been featured in solo gallery exhibitions and is included in the A. E. Backus Museum, as well as galleries across the Southeast.

Working from her home studio in Central Florida, Bess is surrounded by native and cultivated foliage that frequently appears in her work. She incorporates natural materials—including dried gourds, bamboo, and seed pods—into her sculptural practice, allowing local forms and textures to guide both process and subject.

Beyond the studio, Bess often partners with Second Harvest Food Bank, using gallery exhibitions as a platform to support community initiatives and address food insecurity. Her work remains closely tied to place—reflecting Florida not only as a landscape, but as a lived and shared experience.