Biography:
Raised in the backwoods of Gwinn, Michigan, Elizabeth has been influenced by and is perpetually impressed with beauty in art and nature.
Liz (as friends call her) received a BFA degree from Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids. She attended the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa in 2007 studying advanced Transcendental Meditation and the Yogic Flyers for Peace Program.
Liz works as an illustrator in the publishing industry. She creates Mandala paintings and has designed an art card series called “Mandala Meditations” and which are available locally. Liz also paints community and private murals by commission.
She enjoys the creative support of two artist group circles and lives in Negaunee with her meteorologist husband and their killer cat. Her studio is in Marquette.
Short video clip of Liz’s work at The100DayProject exhibit at Peter White Public Library in November 2013:
My 100DayProject exploration:
“My project exploration is about the experience of “showing up” and my commitment to the daily task of creating. This is my third 100 day project. The last two projects were “art tag concept” paintings and collage both of which used found materials. The tags had a bird, a word, and a word of the day that served as a daily meditation focal point.
“My intention is to continue the exploration of the last two projects by carrying the themes and symbolism forward into this new one.”
My Project Rules:
1) Create 100 items in 100 days. Begin March 3rd, 2013.
2) Repetition of numbers may be significant: number each tag and give them all a word. Each month may possibly follow a color or a word theme.
3) Materials: Paper — adding acrylic paint, markers, pen. Collage — using glue, paper, magazine photos, old book print and illustrations, small found items, original photos, stickers, etc. Use label maker and free hanging “merchandise tags”. Add string and beads.
4) Topic Theme: Birds and Words
5) Permission to break the rules if I find an interesting tangent related to the project.
Each artist was asked to respond to the same questions. Read what Liz had to say:
What was it like sticking with your 100 day project?
“It was easy with the first two projects. The third time…well, life has a way of becoming busier-slipperier to contain. But the result is richer.
What was the biggest challenge you faced with your 100 day project?
“The biggest challenge for me was wrapping it up in a neat descriptive package for others to read and understand – and summarizing what I learned and experienced.
“There are more things to describe than I could line up in a neat sentence. Hence, my fascination with single words.”
Is there a suggestion about momentum that you can offer others?
“One way to keep momentum with your project is to journal and keep a sense of space for the unknown to show-up. Be in the process and don’t succumb to inner criticism – don’t doubt the flow of it all.”
What did you notice after you completed your 100 day project?
“What I noticed was the sheer number of items I made. They offer me so much more to consider as I begin to play with creating art: I feel like it is tapping into the universal well of “doing vs. being”, once I “show up “in my studio. It’s like standing in the river of awareness and letting the ideas wash over me.”
Anything else you’d like to share about your 100 day project experience?
“The first 100 day project was like a personal journal — very descriptive of that day and that moment in time.
“Afterwards, I wanted to keep exploring intuition through the creative process tuning into the messages I didn’t often see, wanted to see, or wanted to tune out.
“My second 100 day project was about exploring the significance of birds in ancient rock art and in literature — and as a shamanic symbol. Later explorations involved birds and words – and the meaning they held for me personally and symbolically especially as they related to the loss of both my parents. I believe this project was an intuitive way for me to receive messages I needed to hear, to come to terms with some of life’s greatest challenges and changes.”