Artist Statement & Bio
ARTIST STATEMENT
At the start of 2020, Liz became interested in the unknowing effects of the energy that surrounds us. She is inspired by artists like Janet Fish, and began exploring how reflective objects constantly evolve to echo their surroundings through the play of color and light. Through her own vocabulary, Liz explores these narratives with her in progress: "We are the energy that surrounds us" collection.
Her past work involved the balance and opposition of organic versus industrial. Callahan’s paintings are derived from an exploration of tactility in her use of unconventional painting surfaces (building materials, such as aluminum) and a traditional approach to painting and subject matter. She has explored floral themes are a byproduct of nostalgia for her Louisiana childhood and the natural landscapes the state boasts. A classical approach to handling paint is inspired by contemporary realists such as Eric Fischl and John Currin, while the artist Marilyn Minter remains influential with her approach to the strength underlying femininity. Callahan’s practice includes public art - the works serving as a visual conversation, or even intervention, with the local community.
BIO
Liz Flores Callahan (b. 1986, Lafayette, Louisiana) currently lives and works in Chicago, IL. She holds a BFA in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design (2008) and is a former artist in residence at The School of Visual Art, New York, NY. She has additionally studied painting in the South of France and Florence, Italy. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and is included in collections internationally. Her murals are on public display in the Chicago metropolitan area, and her window display installations have been featured (among other locations) at Bergdorf Goodman, New York, and Anthropologie, Chicago.
Contact:
lizcflo@gmail.com
@thetigerlizzy
Logan Sq, Chicago