Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Wiley.
Elizabeth, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My work has a strong focus on Equestrian sports. There are a few other subjects that I will paint, but there is always a horse painting in the works. Growing up in Abilene, TX, I was constantly surrounded by horses. Everywhere I looked there were horses. My parents had horses and I rode for many years.
I attended University of Texas Arlington and studied Fine Art with a focus in Ceramics. I didn’t fall in love with painting until a few years later. But Ceramics had a major impact on my work and how I developed my painting style and technique.
When I did finally did take painting classes and used a paint brush, I found it heavy in my hand and more awkward to use and difficult to get the results I wanted. Then it occurred to me, I took my ceramic tools used to scrape the clay and used them to scrape the paint across the canvas. I was immediately satisfied. The paint could be applied thicker and I could scrape designs into the paint. This change revolutionized my art and opened up whole new world of options.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I consistently struggle to articulate and communicate my vision in words and find it easier to communicate my message through my paintings. So it’s a little ironic that I’m trying to explain this in words.
Part of the artistic journey is listening to that inner voice and connecting with that creative energy. Tapping into that energy can be a struggle sometimes. It’s not something that an artist can do consciously. It happens for me when I give into the process and forget about making mistakes, it’s at that moment where everything flows. Maybe its mindfulness or meditation, but once I tap into that energy I want to stay there, connected to that energy. I don’t want anything to come between me and that connection. It’s an incredible experience.
And there are times where it’s gone, my inner creative voice isn’t speaking. I can’t feel the energy and nothing flows. Those times are hard to go through, because I know it’s there, and being unable to connect is frustrating. It can completely shake my confidence.
I’ve have found a system for me in those times when I’m frustrated and everything is just not working. Most of the time the problem is not the painting. It has to do with something else that I’m hung up on in my life. It is something that my mind is thinking or worried about that is creating a block between me and my paining.
When I have unfinished business that is blocking me from connecting to that energy I find that I have to stop painting. I put my hunt for that creative energy aside, so that I can clear up that unfinished business. I am then able to come back with a clear head and reconnect to my inner voice and creative energy.
Liz Wiley Fine Art – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
When I started out I was working out of my garage. Selling mainly by word of mouth. As my work evolved it became more self-supporting. My family grew and work space declined. In 2013 I moved into my own studio in North Dallas. There is something special about having my own studio space separate from our home. It has elevated my work and I’m able to get so much more done because there are less distractions taking me away from painting.
It’s important to me that my work stands apart from others artist. I want my paintings to be recognized as my work before they see the signature. I try hard to develop consistency with my lines and techniques so that the work as a whole is all a part of the same story.
My work has been featured in Crate & Barrel catalogues and in articles in Park Cities Bubble Life, Horse and Style Magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse Magazine, Heels Down Magazine, EtsyDallas, Maryland Equestrian, Paard Verzameld Netherlands, and on the cover of The Dressage Way.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m always honored when someone wants to bring one of my paintings into their home or business. Whether it’s a small or large painting, it’s significant to me.
People collect art for so many different reasons. I like to think that my collectors see or feel something special when they view my work. It takes them out of their world and into mine for a moment.
They have decided to take a little piece of me with the painting.
Contact Info:
- Address: Liz Wiley Fine Art
Studio by appointment
9995 Monroe Dr. Suite 121
Dallas, TX 75220 - Website: www.lizwiley.com
- Phone: 2146754737
- Email: liz_wiley@me.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lizwileyfineart
- Facebook: www.fb.com/lizwileyartist
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/liz_wiley
- Other: www.lizwiley.etsy.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
