I spent the first half of my life in Baltimore, Maryland.  As a child, I loved being outdoors, hanging out under the forsythia.  It felt magical.  When I began to study art and took my first plein air class, I knew I had found my path.  I paint outdoors in the elements, for me it’s the only way.  I’m a purist about it- no photographs, no touching up in the studio.  I paint what I see while I’m on-site.  The challenge is to capture the colors in the hour or so before the light shifts.  I don’t change what is there.  Well, once in a blue moon I may leave something out.  Each of my paintings is an homage to a particular place.  I like the intimacy of a small painting.  The image draws the viewer in.  Small paintings are completed quickly and that demands an honesty to get it “just right.”  A small painting is the first step in exploring a view.  Maybe I will do more there.  I fall in love with some places and I’ll go on to make a number of different paintings, exploring compositions and trying different sizes.  I like to work large as well.  Sometimes a place just demands to be big.  With large work, I can add more complexity, have the time to see and put down the subtleties.  A large painting is an exploration of the essence of the landscape  viewed over a number of days, even years.  Whenever I am painting, I feel the nature spirits are helping me out. I think there is something radical about painting the land. I paint to communicate the beauty and magic of our island.  I hope to honor the earth.

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-Elizabeth Lockhart Taft

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BFAMarylandInstitute,CollegeofArt
MFAPennsylvaniaAcademyoftheFineArts

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Liztaft@vineyard.net

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*For interest in purchasing the artist's work please contact them directly*