♪♪
-So, in my creative process,
I'm always trying to get to the point of flow,
because that's when my best work comes out.
And it's extremely challenging to get to that point,
especially now with so much going on in the world
and so many distractions.
But that is always my ultimate goal,
is to work from that inner place that almost feels spiritual.
That's what I'm always searching for within my practice.
♪♪
I'm a Seattle-based artist.
All of my work is grounded in painting.
But I paint on everything from shoes, clothing,
giant installations, canvas -- anything I can get my hands on.
So my practice is very expansive and it's forever growing.
My art is incredibly vibrant.
I'm very drawn to fluorescent pink.
And living somewhere that is so gray
most of the time in the Pacific Northwest,
I really need that color to activate my brain and my heart.
Most recently, I have been doing Rorshachs.
They intrigue me because the viewer
can see their own imagery within,
and it speaks to subjectivity
and how there is no correct or incorrect way to view art.
And now I'm going to fold it.
Even though I've seen the imagery beforehand,
I never know exactly what's gonna come out.
So it's always a fun surprise to open it up.
I grew up in Eugene, Oregon,
and I have memories of my dad putting his paper in the bathtub
to prep it for his watercolors,
and he would periodically make paintings when I was a kid.
So that helped me to understand that art was possible
and it was a thing.
His paintings are beautiful,
and I feel like with my present-day work,
I am very heavily inspired by the watercolors.
But I take it into my own hands
and turn it into something a bit more activated.
♪♪
My inner psychology is a big part
of my artwork and my practice,
and I think of my practice as being medicine.
I have a lot of issues with mental health,
and painting is what helps get me through.
I can't go more than two weeks without painting
or I start getting incredibly depressed.
So, I'm trying to get the bubbles out.
And I have to do that delicately,
because the more saturated this paper gets,
the more it wants to tear.
This goes back to an art professor
that I had very early on,
and he would always say, "Don't be precious."
And that sentence goes through my head a lot
when I'm making my work,
and it's a reminder to just loosen up
and not take things too seriously.
So, during the pandemic, I started harvesting flowers.
And I pressed them,
and I started putting them into my artwork.
The paint itself will keep the color,
but as you can see, the flowers were already starting to fade.
♪♪
Color is definitely what makes my work identifiable,
and, also, the looseness and childlike qualities within it.
When people look at my work,
I want them to be really curious about it.
And, also, I want them to be able to see something in it
that they have within themselves.
♪♪
-Learn more about Liz at liztran.com.
See her work in person at Patricia Rovzar Gallery.
And watch for her original visuals in "Oh Rosie!",
a new music video
by the L.A.-based artist Alexandria Boddie
coming out this fall.
♪♪
Catch Art Zone Friday nights at eight and
anytime online at seattlechannel.org/artzone.
♪♪