This 3-hour workshop will introduce participants to visualization techniques that open the mind’s eye to abstract compositions. You will be guided through a simple process to discover your personal style of abstract expression working directly from your own imagination. You will have the opportunity to work with watercolors, acrylics, and Flashe Vinyl paints while exploring your unique abstract style.

You may bring an image to interpret into abstract form or simply work from the wealth of your imagination. We will work with brushes, knives, and sponges. Materials are included, but feel free to bring your favorite tools and water-based mediums!

Elizabeth was raised in Tacoma WA. where fog heavy mornings were scented with salt from the Pacific waters, the resin of evergreens, and arsenic from the lumber mills. In the 1960’s logging trucks could still be filled with a single Douglas Fir, and pencils were sold by the pound.

By 1978 Elizabeth had begun a slow migration toward adulthood and was studying at Cornish Institute for the Arts in Seattle WA. In the early 80’s she headed to Paris France where she earned a degree in theater arts from L’Ecole International de Jacques Lecoq. This led to a 20-year co-artistic directorship with Theater Grottesco, creating original works for the stage; touring, performing, teaching, and learning to see.

In 1990 the company moved to the States and settled in Detroit. On tour breaks Elizabeth set up her easel to paint. Her work was fueled by summer tornados on lake Michigan, castles in Eastern Europe, race riots in Los Angeles...a rapidly expanding collection of life impressions. Primarily self-taught, Elizabeth schooled herself in oils before a reluctant introduction to acrylics changed her course, and she never looked back. Her works have evolved from impressionistic to abstract, while maintaining a theatrical dynamic that is suggestive of narrative. Elizabeh’s fascination with sacred geometry and collective consciousness continues to inspire her work.

Elizabeth’s paintings are in several private collections around the country, and her works have been represented by galleries in Detroit MI, south FL, and in Santa Fe NM; most recently with Canyon Road Contemporary Art. She has taught her approach to abstract painting (and her signature sponge technique) at the Burlini Studio in Boca Raton FL, and at Studio 12 in Santa Fe. She is delighted to join the team at LDBA.

Saturday December 20, 2025
9-12 pm
Class limit: 6

La Petit Ecole
717 Canyon Road Unit C Santa Fe, NM 8750