Whether building furniture with her grandfather, constructing a stone wall with her dad or sewing and painting with her aunt, Elizabeth Floyd has been creating things out of nothing since she was a child. She was also taught to notice beauty at an early age. Both of her grandmothers were avid gardeners—a trait she carries on—and it was not unusual for them to point out a stunning vista or a field of wildflowers while traveling or taking a walk.
You’re My Heart, oil, 18 x 24"
During the last year of her decade-long career as an architect, Floyd was at her desk gazing out the window over the rooftops of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., admiring the angle of the light and the clouds in the distance. “And I said, ‘when I’m a full-time artist, these are the moments I will celebrate,’” shares Floyd.
Floyd stayed true to her word and has been “elevating everyday moments into fine art” ever since. She crafts her still life compositions out of flowers she’s grown and other items with personal significance—books she’s read, seashells she’s picked up, porcelain pieces and other mementos from her travels—that fill her home.
Simple Pleasures are Much Better, oil, 36 x 24"
“The objects that are in my paintings I possess,” she says. “I live with them. They’re on my dining room table or in my living room. Almost every item has a story in it. I’m always trying to visualize the joy and love and color that my collectors will be able to bring into their life and become a form of their own expression.”
Similar to architecture, she sees her paintings as another opportunity to create new spaces to dwell in, savor and enhance one’s everyday experience. “Architecture is really about creating environments that help people live a beautiful life,” she says. “I find that painting is the same thing—it’s more individual but at the same time it’s available to more people. It can be shared online; people invite it into their homes where it can be appreciated by friends and family. My work is personal, but there’s a universality to it as well.”
Floyd created Peonies and Cassatt after flipping through an old sketchbook where she had first conceived the piece with a different name—A Time to Love and Embrace.She changed the title but the painting remains a contemplation of motherhood, as were many of Mary Cassatt’s most popular works.
Spring is Here, oil, 18 x 24"
Her pieces often include renditions of work by historic artists—Simple Pleasures are Much Better features a book by a mid-century California architect and a landscape by William Merritt Chase arranged around another bouquet of peonies. “Peonies are an experience in themselves,” she says. “They have such variety and lushness, and ask you to live a better life. These are simple pleasures that add so much depth to your life. Bringing in flowers, your coffee table filled with beautiful things or spending a Saturday at the beach with your friends on a blustery day.
“To me, art is about communication and connection and my highest goal when I’m painting is to create a connection with another kindred spirit.”
Peonies and Cassatt, oil, 36 x 36"
Floyd’s latest work will be featured in a solo exhibition titled Memories in Bloom at Principle Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, from May 3 through 31, with a reception on opening day from 5 to 8 p.m. —
Principle Gallery 125 Meeting Street • Charleston, SC 29401 • (843) 727-4500 • www.priniciplegallery.com
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