{"id":12448,"date":"2025-05-04T20:03:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T02:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rctc.edu\/echo\/?p=12448"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:51:28","slug":"elizabeth-england-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/elizabeth-england-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth England Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Driftless

Driftless Art Academy<\/p><\/div>\n

For the people don\u2019t know anything about you, what would you like for them to know?<\/b><\/p>\n

I guess I\u2019m mostly an artist. I paint for 30 hours a week. I\u2019m a full time student, and it\u2019s called the Driftless Art Academy, which is where all the work you guys maybe you saw when I sent in work, where that all came from.<\/p>\n

When did you start painting?<\/b><\/p>\n

I started when I was 10. Then three years ago, the Driftless Art Academy opened in Rochester, teaching oils. I\u2019d always wanted to paint in oils, so I started taking classes there, and became a full time student within a year.<\/p>\n

Where do you get your ideas for some of your paintings?<\/b><\/p>\n

The one I that you guys are going to show is actually my really good friend. She\u2019s an RCTC student here. Her name\u2019s Ingrid. I took photos of her for a project for digital art, and I really liked the photo, the one of her braiding her hair, and I asked her, \u201cCan I actually, like, oil paint this?\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why it ended up turning into an oil painting.<\/p>\n

So you just walk into a room, and you see things, and you view it, and you say, \u201cYou know what? I want to paint that?\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, although I\u2019m still kind of learning how to do take photos of work, like how to position someone to paint a portrait, because a good photo of a person may not be a good photo to paint from. So you have to learn how to get the lighting right and stuff. So the one I did to my friend, I was trying to do it outside, to try and get the light how I wanted it so I could draw from it, or would end up turning into a painting of it. What is your inspiration, in general, behind your other work and your other paintings? Anything specific, or does it kind of just change depending on what you\u2019re working on?<\/b><\/p>\n

My previous work was from a curriculum from the Art Academy. Now, most of my work I want to be a portrait painter. My goal is to like paint portraits and I want to make a living as an artist. So a lot of my work is now working towards painting people. I\u2019ve gotten some commissions now for portraits. So currently I\u2019m painting a lot of people I know, like my current project is actually my brother. He\u2019s been asking for two years.<\/p>\n

Are you thinking at all about mimicking certain textures?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m trying to capture texture. Yes.. I also love painting fabric. Okay? So I love trying to do all the little folds and stuff in the fabric.<\/p>\n

It is nice detail. And the fabric is very nice detail, even with the creases and the wrinkles.<\/b><\/p>\n

And you can\u2019t actually tell from that photo, but my that\u2019s actually a dress that my friend made that\u2019s not a store bought dress.<\/p>\n

Do you ever get, like, painter\u2019s block? <\/b><\/p>\n

On the technical side, if I get stuck, like if I can\u2019t figure out, \u201cOh, this face doesn\u2019t look right,\u201d because I\u2019m painting at the Academy, I have an instructor who I can ask and get me unstuck. I\u2019m out of the curriculum now\u2026 now, I\u2019m creating my own like references and stuff. So that\u2019s been a little bit different. I haven\u2019t encountered it yet, because I either if I don\u2019t know what to paint, I end up getting a commission, or if I don\u2019t have a commission, I will end up knowing what I want to paint. So so far, it\u2019s worked.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the RCTC art program had to do with your career as an artist? <\/b><\/p>\n

So far, it\u2019s made me try different things, like I took ceramics last semester, and probably ceramics is something I would never have tried if I had done it here.<\/p>\n

Did you find any interplay between the two?<\/b><\/p>\n

Between ceramics and painting? Not really. The painting class here, I guess it sort of feeds into it. It\u2019s different from, I\u2019m very used to the way the Academy teaches it, so it\u2019s just different doing it here.<\/p>\n

What would you say is the best feature of RCTC\u2019s Art Department, or something that people don\u2019t take advantage of at school? <\/b><\/p>\n

There are definitely some really good instructors. I have one I like looking how to be. An artist. I did talk to Simon, and that conversation was very helpful. So one of the things I\u2019d say is definitely the instructors are knowledgeable, okay,<\/p>\n

So when your viewers look at your paintings, what do you want them to think of what does it mean to you? You know, if I was to look at your painting, what would you want me to think<\/b><\/p>\n

I guess it depends on the painting, because some of them I just do for a purely technical challenge, like the one I did of the three, I think you guys probably saw it, the one of the three ladies, yeah, front of the easel. That one I did purely as a technical I love the drapery in that one. This one, I\u2019m really good friends with her, so it was just a lot of fun to paint her, and then, you know, bring her in and get to see her. I stopped showing her progress photos and got to see her reaction when I showed her the final painting. What was that like? That was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, there was a full class, so we had to be pretty quiet, but I\u2019ll get to do it again when I show my brother his portrait.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the story behind the two kids boogie boarding?<\/b><\/p>\n

That\u2019s actually my brother and I when we were little. I painted it when I was younger, like 13 years old. And I decided, if you look on my Facebook, there\u2019s a comparison of one I did when I was 13 versus 18.<\/p>\n

Do you ever work on something more than one thing at once?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, I have to, because oil paints take so long to take a while to dry, and I\u2019ll work in layers. So I have to, if it\u2019s, if I go on top of it, when it\u2019s like the paint, well, you can feel it, it\u2019ll get sticky. So, I don\u2019t know, remove your layer previous. So you have to make sure it\u2019s dry. So right now, I probably, I think, have four on the go, but I will just switch in between. So I thought I can just change them when, if this one needs to dry, I can switch to another one.<\/p>\n

So you say you really homed in on painting during COVID, right?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yep.<\/p>\n

And during that time, what was it like to paint like feeling wise? Was it like out of I don\u2019t want to be home, I need something to do. Boredom<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I actually loved it, because the school that I had been going to, there have been a lot of discipline issues, and the people in my like classes were not very nice. So I was quite happy to just be home painting. In my opinion, it was great, because I could watch videos on how to do whatever it is I wanted to do, and then spend the afternoon painting, and then go back to watching videos, and that\u2019s just and I hardly had any school because I didn\u2019t really know how to do it online. So I could just spend all day.<\/p>\n

What are you studying at RCTC? And what\u2019s next?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m technically a fine arts major, so I go graduate. I did PSU, so I\u2019ll graduate RCTC in May, and then I\u2019ll probably stay at the academy and stay painting. Currently, I\u2019m not gonna probably transfer to a college.<\/p>\n

Are you at a high school last year or this year?<\/b><\/p>\n

Last year I graduated high school. Last May, I\u2019ll graduate RCTC this May.\u00a0 And my mom is actually an instructor here.<\/p>\n

So what does she teach?<\/b><\/p>\n

Nursing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just gonna ask, like, how much is this painting for sale for?<\/b><\/p>\n

that one would probably be hard for me to sell, because that one, actually, I entered it into the state fair when I was in 11th grade, and I never entered anything into the State Fair, and it won grand prize.<\/p>\n

Wow.<\/b><\/p>\n

So then the three ladies I entered again last summer, and the three ladies won grand prize.<\/p>\n

Will you submit again this year?<\/b><\/p>\n

Probably, although this year I won\u2019t be in the I was. I\u2019ve been in the youth category because I\u2019m still in high school. Okay, so now I have to submit to the actual Fine Arts exhibition, which is a lot more picky.<\/p>\n

Does abstract art call you at all? Or do you think you will stay pretty fascinated by realism as long as you can see<\/b>?<\/p>\n

Currently, I can\u2019t imagine doing abstract. I love doing realism. Like if you put me in a museum, I will just walk by the abstract. Put me in front of a realism painting, I will look at it for a while.<\/p>\n

What do you like so much about realism?<\/b><\/p>\n

Right now? Like capturing, capturing, people, like, I painted my friend and it looks like her, or like that one. It\u2019s like, it looks like a lion. It looks fluffy\u2026. I <\/b>also appreciate the skill. Like, if I\u2019m looking at another artist\u2019s work, and I can look at it and go, that was really well done. I appreciate that more than looking at an abstract painting. I know the skill, there is skill in abstract art, but I see it more in realism work.<\/p>\n

Yeah, like frame by frame is the wrong way to say it, but you can analyze, kind of, like stroke by stroke, how they were putting this thing together, or, like, what shapes they started with, and how well one of the things<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah I can look at it and go \u2013 one of the things I\u2019ve been doing is master copies. So kind of taking apart, I guess, how they did it,<\/p>\n

what\u2019s been the most satisfying one of those that you\u2019ve done?<\/b><\/p>\n

Probably the three ladies. Took me four and a half months, 30 hours a week.<\/p>\n

You ever considered teaching painting?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, I would, at some point, would probably want to teach a little bit. I just know from other artists that people who teach it end up not having much time for their own work. So I want to make sure I still have time for my own work.<\/p>\n

Is that something you connected with Simon about because he seems like he still is able to put out a decent amount of work, or at least was I used to teach?<\/b><\/p>\n

He told me that part of the reason why he used to why he started to teach RCTC was because before he was actually making he was making a living as an artist, but he\u2019s only doing commissions. So he could never pick what he wanted to paint, like he can ever get to paint he wanted to paint. So if he taught he could have the income. But then all summer, he could paint whatever, or even during school year, paint whatever he wanted.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I know when I\u2019m writing, sometimes I\u2019ll just throw away the whole piece at the end, like, \u201cI don\u2019t like this,\u201d and throw it away. <\/b><\/p>\n

I could, but if I\u2019m gonna do that, I\u2019d better do it towards the beginning, because after 60 hours into it, I don\u2019t really want to start.<\/p>\n

Is there a way to correct the mistake in a painting? <\/b><\/p>\n

Yeah, depending on what the mistake is. But oil paints are actually fairly forgiving as far as it goes.<\/p>\n

So a typical painting of a face would take about how long?<\/b><\/p>\n

once again, really depends on the portrait, because, like, if they\u2019re wearing, if they\u2019re wearing something that\u2019s, like fabric, or a dress, or, right now I\u2019m doing a girl who\u2019s wearing plaid, which takes a while.<\/p>\n

Do you have, like, a hierarchy of fabric challenges in your brain?<\/b><\/p>\n

Probably sheer fabric would be, or lace. There was some lace in that picture, but, like, it was just Yeah. But I\u2019ve seen people who will do like a whole lace dress. That\u2019s just awesome.<\/p>\n

So for people who don\u2019t know who you are and where to find your work, how can they locate you?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have Facebook and Instagram, which are both Elizabeth England fine art, and then on fine art America, I have, if you just search up Elizabeth England, and you\u2019ll be there. Come up cool with the queens, with pictures of the Queen, because my name is Elizabeth England.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

do you have a message in your paintings? Are they message based?<\/b><\/p>\n

Sometimes not. Some of them, maybe. I mean, the one of Ingrid. I titled it Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, which is a verse from Psalms 139, 14, right now I\u2019m doing another one of my grandparents hands, which is probably going to be I have two titles for it, either well done or fought the good fight. So some of them are a little bit Christian themed, but right now, I\u2019m doing another this one\u2019s a commission, but of a little girl sitting in Jesus\u2019s hands. So there are definitely some Christian themes, and some of them some faith behind it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like, I feel like I\u2019m looking at the painting. To be honest, might need to change my hobby.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the people don\u2019t know anything about you, what would you like for them to know? I guess I\u2019m mostly an artist. I paint for 30 hours a week. I\u2019m a full time student, and it\u2019s called the Driftless Art Academy, which is where all the work you guys maybe you saw when I sent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1050,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[45,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-and-entertainment","category-campus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1050"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12448\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rctc.edu\/echo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}