Eliza Schurman

RR #1 Barss Corner
Newburne NS B0R 1A0
902-644-3078
cr8on@tallships.ca

Medium: oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolours, mixed mediums, ceramics and gardening

Subjects: nature, portraits

Eliza was born into a farming and forestry family in Nova Scotia. Although she had an abundant childhood, this traditional rural background did not include the concept of a career as an artist. Nevertheless, her creative talents were supported by her family. Encouraged by her teachers, she began at the age of twelve to study with a professional artist in the nearby town of Springhill. At seventeen Eliza started studying with John Cook, a prominent Nova Scotian artist. He remained an important influence in her life inspiring her for many years. She continued to study painting and dream about becoming a “real” artist while raising a family and having a career as a high school teacher.

Many years later, Eliza still had a deep desire to fulfill her creative passion and was preparing for retirement. She began studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and graduated on her 50th birthday with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with honours, in studio and ceramics. Free to pursue her lifelong dream she moved to the shore of Sherbrooke Lake, Lunenburg County. The summer cottage there grew piece by piece and room by room into a creative paradise. Whether watching the sunrise through the trees, the moonlight on the lake or the cycles of life in the forest, her home -shared with cats “Lady Sophia” and “Sir Thomas” - provides both inspiration and tranquility.

Naturally Eliza’s paintings are nature based images influenced by the environment. Her love of trees and all their manifestation is often a theme in her work. Eliza’s media vary from oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolours, mixed mediums, ceramics and gardening. She hones her skills by the continued practice of portrait painting and life drawing with the LaHave Artist Group, as well as by taking specialized workshops with accomplished artists in Canada and the US. Her newest watercolour paintings are an exercise in letting go of control. In them she uses abstract under-painting and allows the forms to emerge through the use of negative space. She uses intense colour combined with a fantasy quality to explore new ways of seeing things. Her art is always evolving and she feels it parallels her spiritual journey. Eliza says “The act of painting is an extension of my meditation practice. It teaches me to see light manifested in form.”

In April, 2005 she and two other artists engaged in a cultural exchange with Cuba. This involved being hosted by the Cuban government, showcasing their art at a gallery in Pinar de Rio and painting with local Cuban artists. Over the past three decades Eliza has had many solo and group shows across Nova Scotia. Her paintings can be seen at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Sales and Rentals, Tatamagouche Centre, in galleries on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, and in private collections in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, and England.

Forest Berries, Watercolour, 25.5cm x 35.5cm (10'' x 14'')

Elfin Wood, Watercolour, 25.5cm x 35.5cm (10'' x 14'' )

Dina, Pastel, 35cm x 54cm (14'' x 21'' )