Goward House

Painting brings me joy and feeds my soul. As I tune in and let go, I experience a sense of freedom, flow, and spontaneity. It is my hope that my art brings joy to others as well.

As an abstract painter working in acrylics and some mixed media, I often incorporate vibrant colours, bold brushwork, and gestural marks in my work. I create a dialogue with the painting and become more discerning as I work through the layers, and the painting unfolds. My work expresses movement, and an energy of joy, harmony, and enthusiasm.

My travels and living in Europe have provided rich artistic environments that have influenced my art over the years. Originally from Montreal, I now live near the ocean in Victoria, BC. I am very much inspired by nature on my daily walks along the water and through the neighborhood and parks. I find joy in the changing light, the movement of the waves, cloud formations, contrasting light and shadow, and the multitude of colours as the seasons change. That energy of joy and inspiration comes through in my work.

In addition to a background in science and psychology, I have always been drawn to the expressive and healing components of art and the creative process. I find that movement and expressing myself through art balances my energy, keeps it flowing, and helps me to be in the present moment.

I have developed my skills and style of painting through participating in many classes and workshops. My artwork has been exhibited in shows in Vancouver, Victoria and area, and in online exhibitions. I have also enjoyed participating in community art walks and studio tours. I am an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA), the FCA Victoria Chapter, and the Victoria Arts Council.

Elizabeth was born in Ottawa and attended Carleton University where she earned a BA (major Art History) and a B.Mus. She spent her youth raising a family and teaching music in elementary school. In 1998 she graduated with a diploma from the Ottawa School of Art and did further studies in printmaking at the Kingston School or Art. She moved to Victoria in 2021 and started a series of collages. By 2023 she was encouraged to start to paint again and now she never stops!

Why I paint

“The only time I feel alive is when I am painting.”

Vincent Van Gogh

This is true for Van Gogh and it is also true for me. This is why I paint:

to share this aliveness of being a painter with others.

Some may say I am a representational painter, but there really is very little difference between being an abstract painter and a representational painter.

Art critic Roger Fry states, “The idea that a painting must succeed as an arrangement of elements before it can succeed as a representation of something else is a central tenet of modern art.” By this he means that whether it is realistic or from the artist’s imagination, it must succeed as an arrangement of elements i.e. composition, colour, line etc. This is why I say to people that I am more concerned with what is happening on the canvas than what I am painting.

Something sparks my creativity like a domestic scene or a bunch of flowers. I start to paint, but it has to pass through my inner being before the image appears. As I paint the subject, something quite abstract often starts to come into the painting. I am simply creating with paint, allowing my inner filter to disappear. Composition and colour have their own life of which I am not conscious. But I am in the zone, loving what I am doing and feeling ever so alive.