About
Elizabeth Malm is an artist working in the New York City area. As a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Elizabeth studied watercolor and drawing under the tutelage of accomplished artist professors. Though the main body of her work is in watercolor, she has also produced work in acrylic, ink, soft pastel, and charcoal.
In addition to continuing to add to her portfolio of artwork, Elizabeth has applied her skills to creating custom stationary and décor items for private client events. She has also been commissioned to make select set pieces for small non-profit productions.
Artist Statement
When I paint, when I create – it is my soul speaking.
My joy, my pain, my peace, is on that surface. It is there in front of you. I may sit down and create what I intend – but the bend of the tree, the complexity or simplicity of its texture, the intensity of its color betrays some component of inner thought and feeling.
I paint nature, predominantly trees, because that is where, in the silent moments, my soul finds companionship. I see a spiritual figure taking form in the tree that, like my soul, is speaking and expressing. It is in constant commune with God or the Universe. It could be twisting in a joyful dance with waving, flailing arms. It could be rigid and outstretched, begging for some form of hope. It is in this figure that I see emotions I cannot express with words, and movements not encumbered by the limits of the human figure. In it, my soul is mirrored.
Watercolor is my medium of choice for the bulk of my work. However, I do work in a variety of media. I enjoy the vibrancy of watercolor. Even when it is applied dark and concentrated, it maintains an ethereal, unreal quality. It matches, I feel, the very intangible emotions I am creating on the paper. When I do venture into the realm of pen and ink or graphite my work tends to be less poetic and more raw and to the point. Retrospectively, as the artist, it is interesting to see how the choice of medium effected the final piece, not just because of its inherent physical qualities and limitations, but because of how it unexpectedly drives the emotion.
I hope, like most artists hope, that my work connects and finds a purpose out there in the world. But because my art, like my soul, is inseparable from me, I also hope, like I imagine most human beings hope, that when people view my work, they hear me. If they don’t hear me, I hope that they hear something or feel something, even if it is subtle or elusive. I hope that they instinctively know that there is something there, in the work, even if they don’t know what it is just yet.
