Hi! I’m Elizabeth Shanahan, and I am an impressionist painter in Tryon, North Carolina, just south of Asheville. My work explores God’s infinite expression of love through His creation, especially landscape.
I work with a variety of materials and techniques, and you’re just as likely to find me working in oils, oil pastels, or acrylics. I enjoy experimenting with brushes and mixed media, sometimes including elements such as hand stitching, machine embroidery, or gold leaf. My work is often mistaken for watercolor because I love to work with watered down acrylics and raw pigment on wet paper, sometimes layering oil pastel over the top. Conversely, I adore oil pastel for their chunky texture, and would never limit myself to a single type of mark making. All that matters to me is that each material is carefully selected to suit the needs of the piece, and of course that everything is archival, heirloom-quality.
Some facts about me:
• I use a wheelchair to help with symptoms of a genetic disease, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. My chair gives me the freedom to do the work I love and get outside without pain!
•I enjoy tea of every kind, mystery novels, badly behaved pets, and spending time in nature with my family.
Inside the Process
I’ve always been a one-draft writer, and I treat my art the same way. My paintings typically evolve quickly: from roughly blocking major forms, to color selection, to final details, all is done on the final piece itself. This means that not every piece works out, but I feel that those pieces that never leave the studio are a vital part of the process for those that do.
