Elizabeth Criger

I am an inveterate armchair naturalist. I was raised by a mother who encouraged and nurtured my innate love of all things nature. She taught me to trust and love nature and all its creatures. From earliest memory, I adored the outdoors and roamed often in my urban environment searching for beauty. I found it in the small patches of wild grass grown over an abandoned lot or in the cracks in the sidewalk. I have grown into an painter who obsessively takes photos, some of which I use in my paintings. Most involve the urban environment I now inhabit. Less urban than the one of childhood, and city, nonetheless. This city is much smaller and has easy access to the wild places of the desert southwest, a place that stole my heart from first encounter. As a creator I am interested in playfully exploring process, perception, consciousness, and being. Working in mixed media I primarily work with pastels, acrylic paint, ink, and plaster on paper, wood, or canvas. Or whatever supplies might come to hand. I allow the process to dictate the style and media. Whatever most clearly conveys whatever I am exploring, such as an emotion, a new technique, or an idea I am distilling. I use the action of creation to help me understand the undefined in the world and myself. By approaching my painting practice from the discovery perspective, I am often surprised by what comes through. Through symbols, color, mark, and gesture, my work explores the evolution of a life... My drive to create, communicate, and seek exchange has deeply informed my work. I have taken part in national groups and solo shows and my work is represented in collections throughout the US.