About Elizabeth
Raised in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Beth portrays conventional local images upon the unconventional surfaces of salvaged and repurposed materials. She thrives on combining the unexpected use of ordinary objects with the natural beauty of local scenery and wildlife.
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Beth began her formal training in the field of art at the College of Charleston in 1982. She went on to study at Winthrop College with concentrations in painting and pottery. She spent a year on exchange at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she experimented in such diverse areas as glass blowing, enameling, gallery installation, and art therapy. She received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Fine Arts. Beth’s love of diverse surfaces has been evident over the years. These unusual “canvases” have included interior and exterior walls, floors, fabric, glass, metal, clay, and furniture.
Her creations have received many awards over the years such as Best Children’s Room 1996 in the Mount Pleasant Parade of Homes, 2nd Place Best Display 2013 Summerville Flowertown Festival, and the 2014 Mayor Joseph P. Riley Certified Authentic Made in Charleston Award. Beth has also been chosen as an Exhibiting artist in the 2014 & 2015 Mt Pleasant Office of the Mayor Art Program and as a Participating artist in the West Of ChART Box Project. Recently she was chosen as the featured artist for the KWLA Big Rock Fishing Tournament in Morehead City NC. Most recently she was awarded 1st place for her work “Marlin Rising” at Top of the Lake Art Fest in Okeechobee, FL and chosen as the Poster Award Artist for the same piece for the 2021 festival. She has also been honored to participate as a chosen artist with the South Carolina State Parks Artist in Residence Program in 2017 and again in the upcoming 2021 season.
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In her free time, she has volunteered with the Arts in Healing art therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina where she enjoyed bringing a little creative sunshine into the lives of oncology patients at the Hollings Cancer Center and at Bliss Co-Op leading art programs for adults with development disabilities. She loves teaching and has lead many workshops and classes at several galleries, studios and private venues across the Region.
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She lives, paints, scavenges for surfaces, and generally enjoys life in the Park Circle Area outside of Charleston, SC with her duo of very energetic studio pups!
artist
statement
Growing up on the vibrant waterways of the South Carolina Lowcountry has afforded me the luxury of the most incredible of inspirations that range from the egret’s graceful steps along a creek bank to the fin flash of a bass rising through the deeper currents. My work pays homage to the diverse coastal life and the lush green and golden marsh and woodlands that surrounded my childhood and continue to captivate my attention.
While my subject matter is drawn from the local landscape, my technique arises from family traits. I draw from my paternal grandmother’s artistic endeavors and my parents’ continued encouragement, and what I draw (and paint) on can be blamed on my maternal grandparents. Their greatest love--besides for one another--was their early Saturday morning jaunts to the local garage sales. I confess that I come by my scavenging tendencies honestly, as I love collecting the recycled surfaces almost as much as I love creating the art itself.
The playful and color-rich images of the Lowcountry come to life on recycled surfaces of every shape and size and create both an element of surprise and a reverence for the past.