BETI KRISTOF has lived her passion for painting for over 35 years. Whether painting commissions, portraiture, murals, creating her own greeting card line or just painting for her own pleasure, the paintbrush is not long out of her hand.  She might best be called the “Renaissance Woman” for her level of mastery.

At age 17, Beti was accepted to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  Her talent was so apparent that she was invited to apprentice with two of Europe’s noted artists: Eva and Americo Makk. Several years later, while studying Fine Art in Italy, Beti gained invitation to what most artists only dream of – the Sacchi Studio in Italy and the vaults of Pitti Palace  to study and sketch from the original works of Titan, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and da Vinci, as well as other masters.

Beti‘s many styles of painting and sculpting reflect the depth of her formal training and add to her well-deserved stature as one of the Southwest’s leading artists. She has illustrated several books including “Tiko and the Tramp,” “Ted’s Simple Truth” and “The First Football ABC Pretzel Book,” which she also authored with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation.  In 2007, Beti was awarded the International “Muse Award” for Oil Painting.