Meet Elizabeth at ElizaArt!

Hello Everyone!

I guess it's no real secret that I love art. It's one of my greatest passions in life. And that passion extends from my own canvas to the work of others... I find great inspiration from other artists, their process, their journey. My soul comes to life when I see the artwork of another. There is a restless stirring within me that needs to capture that exhilaration that I feel when I am experiencing another person's art... as well as my own.

To that end, I have decided that I'd use this blog to not only chronicle my own artistic journey, but also to learn about other artists by interviewing them, and publishing that interview, along with some of my favorites of their work, right here... I hope you enjoy this new feature as well!

My first interview is with Elizabeth from ElizaArt. Elizabeth is a painter, and creates stunning works of art such as this.......

Photo from ElizaArt.com

Amazing, huh? Well, that's just a sample of what you'll find in the gallery of her website. Please, read on, and learn a little more about Elizabeth!

How long have you been creating your art?

I have been creating art ever since I was little and could draw with a crayon. I actually remember using nailpolish and painting in a coloring book when I was around 4 years old. It wasn't until I became a florist at 16 years old, and that is when I became more passionate about creating art. I was raised with a creative family where my brothers sang opera and my Mom was always into crafts, so it fascinated me to want to venture into art. Working as a florist for over 8 years taught me the importance of line, color, texture and the passion to create even more. I had always painted and drawn on the side, but it wasn’t until I grew in my paintings throughout the years, that I knew I could do something really great with my gift. I started letting people know that I could do commissioned paintings and that is when my art began to sell. I created my website last summer in the hopes that viewers could see what I could do and then commission me to paint something unique for them.

Photo from ElizaArt.com

Where do you sell your art?

I sell my art through a few online websites: Or should I say promote my art. I am new at promoting. I guess you could say I am not the pushing type to make people buy my art, so it has been hard to try and promote myself, but it is a good experience. I definitely would love for more people to see what I can do and purchase my art and prints!

www.ElizaArt.com Is my official website where a lot of my art can be viewed and you can learn more about me. www.ElizaArt.Etsy.com is where I just created my “ElizaArtshop” almost a month ago. I don’t have any sales, bu t I am hopeful!! Right now I am selling my art, prints of my art and my mini art pendants. www.handmade.me is a place where I can also market some of my work.

I also sell my art through word of mouth and at my hometown Veterinarian Clinic where I offer to create custom Pet Portraits.

How do you market/advertise your store?

Well, lately I have been trying to visit forums throughout Etsy and Handmade.me, because that is how you gain more exposure, and I have been adding new items to my store every week.

I also created a “mini art video” on “Youtube” where some of my art is shown. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsT6CcRfe70

I just started a blogging website where I have some of my art listed on www.ElizaArt.Blogspot.com
I am fairly new to the blogging world, so if you visit my blog, be one of the first to follow me! I would love to make new friends and learn more about all the artisans out there!

At what point did you decide to sell your art?

I actually decided to start selling my work, when I couldn’t possibly cover any more of my walls at home with my art….lol. It was last year that I really took my art to a new level and felt driven to create even more and to give people art that they can have in their homes or as gifts. I have worked for Fleer Corporation and designed game playing cards, but I knew that my style was more about landscapes, pet portraits and home décor art. I think finding out what my speciality was, made it easier for me to focus on the types of paintings I was best at. From then on, my paintings had a certain theme and that is when I began staying true to that theme and selling my art.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?

I would tell them never to give up on something they love to do. I was always and still am a dreamer with big dreams. Everyday I keep motivated and pushing myself to do more. I would tell someone starting out to continually strive to do better. I still have a lot more to learn and can’t wait to see how I’ve progressed when I look back in 60 years!

What inspires you?

Really good music inspires me! I love to paint to all sorts of great music. I also have to wake up and have that creative feeling for the day. Some days I have it and some days I don’t, but when I do, that is when I turn up the music and paint away!

Photo from ElizaArt.com

Every artist experiences “creative block” – a creative dry spell – how do you deal with creative block?

I tend to step away from what I am creating for a couple of days until I feel motivated to come back to it again. It doesn’t do any good to work on something if you are not “feeling it.” The creativity will flow, but there has to be breaks in between where you spend time doing something else and rejuvenating your soul. I often take a look at my work and after hours of working on it, I don’t see it with fresh eyes anymore, so I have to walk away from it and come back to it with a new mind.

How did you choose the medium you work with?

I actually work with oils, acrylics, watercolors, oil pastels and just about any type of medium you can think of. I like to say the medium chooses me, but sometimes I go back and forth with the mediums I use. I will use oil for a couple days on a painting and then use acrylics on a new painting. I think I am one of those artist that likes to mix it up a bit….no pun intended ;)

　

How do you wish to be remembered?

I wish to be remembered as someone that was super creative, talented, warm, passionate about my work, loving, persistent and was a hard worker!

Who are your favorite artists (living and deceased)?

Monet, is one of my all-time favorites, for the way he captured light so well in his paintings. One of my other favorites is an artist named Marty Stanley who captured the California Delta sunsets and landscapes so beautifully through his paintings. I love his work not only for the way he mastered water colors, but also because he was a local artist.

What blogs to do you visit on a regular basis?

Blogging is new to me, but the blogs I have been following are:

Etsy Supply Street Team

Nesting Place

Original Artists on Etsy

Soap Deli News
pursesbagsandsewmuchmore

For anyone who might be reading, what shops would you recommend that they visit right now?

I love browsing the shops that offer delicious looking soaps, like the shop www.Adorationsoap.Etsy.com. The other shop I enjoy looking at is www.Hodakapottery.Etsy.com. Everyday I discover a great place!

Oh and make sure you add them to your favorite list! It’s nice to see who likes your shop if you are an Etsy member.

Any final thoughts?

Persistence, following your passion and getting yourself out there, whether you are a person like me who is not so keen to being noticed….sometimes you have to make yourself be! Oh, and don't forget to have fun during your creative journey!

You can learn more about Elizabeth at her website: http://www.ElizaArt.com