Liz Harper

b. 2004, San Jose, CA

I grew up in Northern California, surrounded by emerald pines and endless mountains. Memories of trips to the Sierra Nevadas have defined who I am. My whole life was spent wandering the hidden rivers of the Santa Cruz Mountains, paddling out to the jumping rock of Donner Lake, and happily brushing the dust off my boots at the end of each day. It was under those trees where I learned how to be myself. Led through life by my older brother, happily wandering off-trail alongside him, the outdoors became a space for advice, quiet thinking, wonder, and curiosity. Today I find myself searching for the same serenity found beneath those trees - trees I have watched slowly disappear from my beloved valley, lost to an onslaught of fires. I will always cherish the soft sounds of the woods: the crinkle of leaves beneath my boots, the drilling of white-headed woodpeckers, the cracking of ponderosa pine branches, and the sweet trickle of a creek.

 Through paint, I intend to replicate those moments. I paint in memory of the lands that defined my being. Colors of western autumns and evergreen forests seep through each piece. I ensure that each moment of these beloved landscapes is replicated with care; each pine tree, rock face, and horizon line. My brother taught me to notice - to pay close attention in every aspect of life and slow down as often as I can. I carry this ethos into every part of my painting practice. From the careful preparation of linen surfaces to the slow rendering of  every detail in the landscape, my process mirrors the attentiveness I hold in my time spent outdoors - eternalizing the wonder and beauty of the land.