Eliza Owens

ELIZA (Liza) COLE OWENS, oil painting

Since Liza grew up in the home of a primitive artist, was provided rudimentary materials and instruction along with encouragement, she has always practiced art in some form. In her youth, she tried sketching, water colors, oil, and chalk pastels. She enjoyed some success with portraits and scenes with animals in the medium of chalk pastels seeking no more than appreciation from her family and friends.

After she was married, began teaching, and became a mother, she let her art participation slip almost entirely. Yet she never lost interest or the desire to paint. Thus after retirement from Rutherford County Schools, she took an oil painting course instructed by Shirley Taschenburg. With Shirley’s instruction, she was able to improve on her innate painting ability and move to a higher level of painting. She has been inspired since then by other artist friends, such as Linda McGregor, who helped her to develop her realistic style of painting, specializing in still life.

Liza’s latest work can be seen at the recently opened Center of the Arts, for the Rutherford County Visual Artists’ Guild, and on display in the Norris Public Library in April and May.