ELIZABETH WALTERS

Elizabeth Walters, an artist and author based in California, has recently embarked on a journey to share “Poetry and Art for the Rest of Us” with the masses. Coming from a blue-collar family, she was never exposed to “real” art or poetry in her youth. Elizabeth earned numerous academic and merit-based scholarships and worked her way through college, teaching art to children and adults through programs that provided opportunities for “under-served” communities to create art. She also spent 2 years as an art guard, which is what impacted her most. She spent countless hours “guarding” an almost empty gallery... too many of the exhibits were “too esoteric, or too academic; they were underappreciated by everyday people.” In 2005, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with University Honor’s and Honor’s in major from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts – a distinction only 12 graduates earned that year. During her years at university, she participated in the Undergrad Exhibition in 2001, ‘03, and ‘04, and in 2005 had a Solo Student Show. After spending the past 20 years creating wonderful buildings, she is now ready to focus on sharing “everyday, uncomplicated, and straightforward art and poetry with everyday people.”  

My proposed artwork would be diptychs of poetry with art, an excerpt from a new larger project I am currently working on. Too many individuals shy away from art and poetry because it is "too academic" or "too esoteric". It's not about "dumbing down art or poetry for the masses"; it's about making it available to the masses, and giving them the tools, experiences, and knowledge to help them internalize a deep lasting love and appreciation of it. Some poems are centered on personal reflection, while others are inspirational and uplifting. Neither the poems nor the art are “too esoteric” for the everyday viewer. When I think of art, my mind leaps to how can this opportunity be a positive and hopeful message to a world that is increasingly negative? Too often we compare ourselves to others or focus on the negative things that we see around us. Why not be surrounded by images that remind you that “Dreams are the Reality of Your Heart” or to “Hang in There?” Each art piece varies – from digitized versions of my hand drawn charcoals, acrylics, or watercolors, all manipulated in Photoshop. 

CA

United States