Meet Artist Bess Auer
Bess Auer is a gallery-represented Florida artist whose work is held and exhibited throughout Central Florida. Her paintings are represented locally by George's Cafe & Art Gallery, where more than 25 of her works are currently offered, and her third solo exhibition, Unpaved Parts: Ghosts of Old Florida, opens at Mills Gallery in Orlando in November 2026.
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 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 her creative work, Bess is co-founder and President of the Winter Park Blue Dolfins Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to water safety, drowning prevention, and expanding access to swimming across Central Florida. She regularly represents the Foundation in the community and speaks on water safety and drowning prevention.