Elizabeth Matthews
Artist in Residence
Elizabeth Matthews paints the awful landscape and is best known for artworks that place empty chairs in this unrestrained nature. In her works, an empty chair serves as a marker of time, acknowledging the past, the present, and the future as it stands in place of a person who was invited and did not come or it stands as an invitation still in place or it represents someone who came and had an emotional impact. An empty chair also invites the viewer to imagine entering the flat picture plane to take a position and to consider the ever-unfolding drama of human beings relating to one another over time, passing in and out of a controlled space.
A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Matthews earned a BFA in painting and drawing from Brigham Young University in 2006. She continued her education at Utah State University earning an M.Ed. in 2011 in teaching and learning. She recently hung two solo exhibitions one at Bountiful Davis Art Center (2020) and another at Finch Lane Gallery (2019); her artwork was also included in the 11th International Art Competition at the Church Museum of History (2019); she recently won painting awards at Woodbury Art Museum (2019) and Springville Museum of Art (2017); and her work was featured in the “Exponent II” magazine (Fall 2019).
Work
“This painting represents Great Falls Virginia at the first lookout point. I recently moved to Virginia and I find this sight breathtaking. I visited this busy spot after a rainstorm when only one other person and a kayaker in the water were there. I considered adding the kayaker into the painting for a bit of humor but I decided that I wanted this painting to be about the awful (unrestrained) landscape. It is amazing to find this indescribable and richly historical site so close and accessible. This painting is a triptych to acknowledge the passing of time. Dividing it into three panels represents the flow of water past, present and future. I used both direct painting and glazing techniques to give the work its rich luminosity.”