Beth Hatton grew up on a farm on the Canadian prairies where the family home was furnished with rag rugs made by her grandmother and aunt.
Her interest in textiles was enhanced during travels in Europe and studies in London, and she began weaving rag rugs after arriving in Australia in 1976.
Completion of a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies at UNSW in Sydney was important to the development of her work, as were various informal workshops.
Also influential was her participation in two collaborative projects - Discerning Textilesand Below the Surface- organised by Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, where she began to weave with kangaroo skin offcuts and wool.
Since 1992 her work has focused on environmental issues, inspired by her research into aspects of Australian history as well as a special interest in landscapes evoking her early life on the farm.
Her practice diversified to the stitching of plant materials into replicas of early settlement tools and in 2008 she exhibited with Christine James in Baseline: remnant grassland of Weereewa/Lake George,shown in Canberrabefore touring regional galleries in NSW and VIC.
Hatton has exhibited across Australia and overseas (Japan, Germany, America), received numerous awards including two grants from the Australia Council and is represented in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia.