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Artists to Watch / One in a series of noteworthy up-and-comers
Liz Hess, Watercolor Realist, Lancaster, Pa.
"I think I came out of the womb with paintbrushes clutched in my hands," said
Liz Hess with a laugh. The watercolor artist was born in Honduras, Central
America (to Mennonite Missionary parents), and raised in Lancaster, Pa, where
she still resides.
"I was able to draw and paint before I could even write my
name," Hess said. "I have never known what it was like not to be able to express
myself artistically. I remember, as a child, spreading out big sheets of paper
on the floor and creating my next 'masterpiece.'"
Hess would spend her
allowance on architectural magazines and spend long, happy hours drafting out
her dream house or commercial buildings. "I wanted very badly to be an
architect," she said, "and probably would have pursued that dream had my life
not taken a much different turn."
After attending private church schools in
Lancaster -- during which time she took many arts and crafts courses and
participated in exhibits, contests and shows -- Hess made the decision to forego
college in favor of missionary work overseas.
"I felt the calling and it was
strong," Hess said. She embarked on an eight-year adventure to Sweden, "where I
lived in a village above the Arctic circle." She continued to paint in her spare
time for pleasure, but her main focus was on the mission. "I have no regrets,"
she said. "Those were the best years of my life. If I could do them over again,
I would in a minute."
Art continued to call to her too, though, and upon
returning to the States, Liz began painting more seriously. "I've worked in all
mediums and had my different artistic periods," she said, "but I have been most
prolific in watercolor." She also works in acrylics and pastels. "All of these
require that I don a different hat," she pointed out, "as each medium must be
approached so separately."
Hess picks subjects that are restful and calming.
"I don't necessarily set out to do this when I sit down to create an image," she
said, "but the subject matter, color palette and technique often determine the
mood depicted in the final painting."
Gardens are a favorite, and in many of
her paintings Hess places an Adirondack chair ("they're very relaxing to me")
somewhere in the scene. And, since she lives in Pennsylvania Dutch country, Liz
also finds it natural to paint the tranquil life of her Amish neighbors.
Hess
has always been a realist in her work, but a recent trip to France (with visits
to the Louvre, d'Orsay and Monet's birthplace in Giverny) inspired her to try
her hand at impressionism. "I was surprised at how difficult it is to discipline
myself to lay down the tiny brushes I normally use and be limited to a huge
brush for nearly every aspect of the painting," she said.
While Hess has been
influenced by many great artists -- including Monet, Carl Larsson of Sweden and
fellow Pennsylvanian Freiman Stotlzfus -- she is most in awe of God. "He
supercedes the lot of them, with the lavish color, pattern, form and beauty He
has splashed in an amazingly orderly way on the canvas of His creation," she
said.
Original works by Liz Hess range in price from $85 for a tiny framed
piece to nearly $4,000 for a large framed work. Prints cost $12 to $160. Giclees
are also available. To view more of Ms. Hess' art, please click on
www.lizhess.com. Or call the Wenger Gallery at (717) 687-5221. Inquiries
regarding wholesale pricing may be directed to her publisher, Edward Ruth
Publications, at (866) 303-4251 (toll-free).
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