Pick the Perfect Size Artwork Every Time

Style and substance matter when choosing artwork for your home, but perhaps the most important consideration is canvas size. After all, the perfect-sized piece could be the ultimate finishing detail to your interior decor. But a canvas size too big could overwhelm your space and make it look cluttered, while an artwork that’s too small won’t make an impact and could look, dare we say, unsettling.  

Evolution and Exploration

Above: Sheet Music Series

What happens when you focus on a specific topic for 30 years?

That's been part of my journey as an artist.  When I was inspired to create as a career, my first step was deciding on my subject matter my focus.

The Mental Game

I've been watching "Hard Knocks" lately, a series on HBO about football camp and the behind the scenes look at building a professional football league.  I'm not necessarily a fan of the Jets or Aaron Rogers, but I do love the game and I was curious to see some behind the scene viewpoints. How often do we get the behind the scenes understanding of anything or anyone?  So here I sit periodically enjoying the view.

Autumn a Season of Balance and Changes

Today is the autumnal equinox.  The sun is exactly above the equator, and we find ourselves with equal time of light and dark.  It's Libra season and balance is the theme of these times.

Abstraction, It's not just a State of Mind

“Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.” ―Arshile Gorky

Jazz Fusion, acrylic, oil crayon, pastel, collage on wood

Artists and their Gardens

Butterfly Ginger

Gardening is creativity and mindfulness.

Despite the summer heat, I spend the most of my free time in my garden.  It is a space of creativity and mindfulness for me.  I dream, sketch, write, dance and sometimes pull weeds or plant in my garden.  Odd you might think the majority of creativity occurs in an artist's studio, but for me that's where I go to realize my creation and to build or paint it.  My creative moments, like many other artists, occur in the midst of our daily life.

It's all about the Pink these Days

Above:  Pink Passion Low-Top Sneakers

Unless you crawled under a rock or smashed your tv, you may have noticed that it's all about pink these days due to the Barbie movie and resurgence of a by gone era. 

Barbie’s Complicated Influence

Creativity takes Courage

Artists put themselves out there to create.  We open up our soul and visually express it through various mediums.  It’s a frightening endeavor, as you open yourself to praise and criticism, and yet we do it anyway…that's our courage. 

Rhythms and a Freedom of Expression

There's always a rhythm reflected in my lyrical abstractions regardless of the medium such as a painting or a sculpture. My expressionistic works are divorced of imagery; thereby, liberating colors, lines and forms through movement coming alive and interacting with the viewer.  It's a fluid process and of the moment.

The Elements of Art

Breaking Blue, acrylic paint on canvas, from the Hidden Rhythms Series

Color, form, line, shape, space, and texture. These 6 elements are the fundamental building blocks for artists to create one-of-a-kind artworks regardless if they are paintings, drawings, collages, assemblages or sculptures.  The elements that define and describe artworks that inspire, awe, and reveal. 

Color Me Silly

….with a box of 64 Crayola Crayons

When I was a child the box of 64 Crayola crayons was the biggest box available.  I grew up with th 24 box, as the 64 box cost more than we could afford,  All those beutiful colors, I thought they were the rainbow.  The 64 box was even considered too frivolous for the school to provide for art class.  

Silence is as Important as Sound

Musical Cadence in Lavender, collage, mixed media and acrylic paint on board

Silence is as important as sound…musicians will tell you that silence and length of silence between each note its as important as the sound of the note(s) played. 

The Ultimate Sacrifice

As we enjoy our long weekend, it is also a time for solemn reflection on Memorial Day, Monday May 29th  for those who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and defending our country. 

Why do I Create Art?

photo: In my studio working on the "Art and Soul Series"

"I have been given the gift of creativity which is as much a part of me as my soul and just as abstract to explain. I paint because I must, and because I want to shed light on the rhythms of life that are similar to many of us.  Its my way of sharing joy and harmony in what surrounds us.   I realize that if I do not use my gift for the greater good, I am a lesser person."

                                                                    -- Liz

Inspired by the Flower Moon

MIssissippi Blues Spirit Totems

In-spired - a spirit word that literally means something has been breathed into you.

I find inspiration from many places at any time, and I always have a book with me so I can write it down or do a rough sketch. Often I look back through my sketchbooks when I'm looking for inspiration or considering a new direction.

Celebrating Earth Day, Today and Everyday

Big Wave, Ocean Rhythm Series, acrylic on canvas, 26" x 60"

Our beautiful and magnificent planet provides us such beauty and wonder from beautiful vistas to amazing plants and animals.  Since the beginning of time, we have studied her birth and evolution to better understand our place and where we go from here. 

Celebrating Paper

Songbird, paper sculpture, 12 x 5 x 25 inches, hand painted paper mounted on wood.  

More than any other object in history, an empty sheet of paper has taken people to places of endless imagination, design, and creativity. Paper has played a major role in the development of our world, the rise of civilizations, and in the lives of the people that have impacted it.  

Refresh and Refine

Spring brings new growth as temperatures begin to rise, the snow begins to melt and we emerge from our homes. But spring also swoops in the ideas of refreshing and refining our homes.  Creativity springs forth as we bring newness to our homes.

Expressionism, a Form of Art

Liz Schafer in the studio working on her Art and Soul series that focuses on all the genres of music.

Art is a language, a visual form of communication that entices your mind and engulfs your soul.

Experience Art

The Guardian, watercolor on paper, by Andrew Wyeth

Art gives us meaning to life and helps us understand our world. Scientific studies have proven that art appreciation improves our quality of life and makes us feel good. Having access to visual art helps humans reflect and scrutinize their experiences. It also connects them to others through the expression of shared identity.

Art is an essential part of the human experience since the first art created in South African caves 28,000 years ago to today.   It is known that art aims to communicate complex experiences words cannot capture. Art reflects the deep mysteries of mind, myth, and culture.

Every Color has a Story

Cloudy and rainy days are perfect to stay inside, relax on the couch or favorite chair and catch up on some reading.  My current read:  The Secret Lives of Color, by Kassia St. Clair.  In my artistic world, color is nearly everything. So I'm geeking out a bit and let me explain why…should you choose to continue reading (wink, wink).

Dimly Lit Clubs…Where It All Began

I spent my earlier years in music clubs … I was there to absorb and feel and sketch in real time. I’d sketch in my traveling notebook as I sat, observed, and listened. You could find me at a tiny table in the dark corners or at the back of the bar. Absorbing the synergy of the crowd and the musicians, I’d feel the sound, and grew to differentiate the sound and rhythms of the bass guitar from the drums, vocals, saxophone, harmonic and what each texture was alone and in harmony with each other. I did this for many years.

Where's Liz?

Spring/Summer 2023 Events

Spring will soon be upon us, and as such the art world opens up in blooming fashion with spring events.  Here's the current listing of where you can look for me and my artworks.  Stop by if your around.  I'll be posting more details closer to each event.

Winter's Sleep

Hope Rings True, collage and acrylic on paper, 22" x 30"

I am enjoying this time of year and focus on self and rest…the calm and the quiet, a time that we only find after the holidays rush. 

It’s the Journey not the Destination

We have often heard the saying "its all about the journey and not the destination."  The same applies to art.  What IS held pure is the process, the time and wisdom gained from creating, and using the gift.

The Art of Possibilities…2023

The Art of Possibilities, neon installation

New Year, new you? Not new, but there is the art of possibilities…

This time of year I work on my annual plan that includes projects, events, and subtle changes I need to make for the better meant of myself and my ultimate goals in life.  I've been doing this for over 30 years.

Blessings

Testimonies in Pink and Red, Sculpture of hand-painted paper with hand-made accordion book

As a child of the 60's, music has always been a part of my life. It brought forth words at times when I had none, echoed my feelings and thoughts, added to moments of joy and sorrow, helped to define significant moments, and provided an expression of emotions harmoniously constructed of musical notes and lyrics created by musicians.  

Reflections

I believe every November/December offers us many signs and events to help us pause and reflect upon the year, our life and of our family and friends. It’s a time to give thanks, rejoice in our blessings, offer our love and symbols of love, and reflect on what we've done right and what we could do better.

Water, a Key Ingredient to Life