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About

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My name is Liz Waddington, I live, garden, and paint in McHenry IL. I have grown every flower that I have painted. I paint to honor all the things I admire about flowers- their shape, luminescence and color. I hope to capture their soft aura and sprightly compositions. I never tire of my subjects- my garden never fails to amaze me with surprises every day- a hidden blossom, a posed praying mantis, a plant I thought dead comes back to life. I miss my garden in the winter but seed catalogs supply me with images and fantasies to keep me going until the spring. Then that time comes on a dreary February day- I get to plant my seeds and the whole process begins anew for another year.

I love watercolor,  it's sheer and strong at the same time.  It's translucent and matte, it's iridescent and subtle- quite a feat for a little tube of pigment!

 

I work in a monoprint style.  I thickly apply the paint, directly from the tube, onto a piece of glass. Sometimes I compose purposefully, sometimes randomly. Next, I soak my 300lb watercolor paper thoroughly and press the wet paint to the wet paper.  Then the magic happens!  I frequently use a latex masking solution to create a framework for my blossoms and foliage.   After this first stage has dried, I rub off the masking latex and start the detailing.   Finally, I cut the elements apart and collage a garden scene.

 

This style gives me many opportunities to create along the way- from the original composition concept to the painting and detailing, the cutting (ok, that can be tedious) and lastly, collaging the beautiful final product!

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Yikes!- my studio, tucked into a corner of my hand-dug basement.  With its white-washed rubble stone walls I like to pretend it's a French wine cellar.  Then I see my washer and dryer and remember that I am, in fact, still in my basement.  Never the less, it is my favorite place in the world.  I also exhibit at various art shows in the area.  I recently added mesh walls to my tent- because I just didn't have enough heavy equipment to haul!  I love to paint at shows and get lots of work done- multi-tasking!  Check out up coming events for my show schedule.

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