After attending Hope College in Holland, Michigan where she majored in education, Harriet Bechtel moved with her family to Taiwan in 1961. While there she became intrigued by Chinese painting, calligraphy and batik. In order to hone her skills, she studied the artistic styles of traditional Chinese brush painting with several distinguished Chinese artists. She also enjoyed watching the artisans in the marketplace working with wax and dye producing intricate batiks. Bechtel was able to immerse herself in this unique culture during the decade that she spent there and appreciates the opportunity to share, through her paintings, the unique beauty of that area of the world.

The bamboo tree with its strength, beauty and dignity has interested Bechtel as it has centuries of Chinese painters before her. In China, bamboo represents the ideal Chinese person, who when faced with adversity will bend but never break.

The plum blossom is a symbol of courage and hope. Blossoms burst forth at the end of winter on a seemingly lifeless branch. The idea that we don’t know what unexpected beauty awaits us is a concept that Bechtel likes to represent in her artwork.

Bechtel has embraced these traditional Chinese symbols as a primary foundation of her personal philosophy and thus her art.