Born and raised in the Southwest Oklahoma area Elizabeth Tilghman is greatly influenced by living near the Wichita Wildlife Mountains and her love of photographing this beautiful area led her back into  art. In 2014, Tilghman was able to return to school and complete her Bachelor of Fine Art with a concentration in painting from Cameron University located in Lawton, Oklahoma. She also studied graphics and printing to receive an Associate in Applied Science in Digital Pre-press from Oklahoma State University in Okmulgee in 1998. Elizabeth’s art was accepted into the 2012 Oklahoma Friendly National Juried Show and the 25th & 28th September Competitions at the Alexandria Museum of Art, in Alexandria, Louisiana; as well as, other various small venues.

Artist Statement:

The artwork that I have produced over the past few years is part of a series of oil paintings and mixed media pieces. They are a representation of the experimentation process and exploration of actual and visual texture. As an artist, I want to not only appeal to our sense of sight, but to our sense of touch. Simulating texture is my technique for creating realism. The tactile surfaces of the paintings and the visual texture of the mixed media drawings add variety, interest, and contrast in my artwork. With actual texture, I can build up the physical depth of the actual picture plane and create a stronger illusion of space. The texture in all of the work stimulates our vision and helps elicit the sense of touch. These particular visual elements draw the viewers into the images.

The work comes to life not only through strong visual depth created by contrasting textures, but by contrasting high and low values and using saturated intense colors. This is my attempt at capturing the essence of light.

Most of the subject matter in the paintings is representational based on my photography. The photos are usually of the surrounding Southwest Oklahoma terrain and antiquated buildings. I have always enjoyed attempting to recapture what I observe in nature with my camera: the contrast between sunlight and dark silhouettes, the textures of nature, or the dynamic color of sunset skies and the effect that this golden light has on everything it illuminates. Throughout the imagery, you will see a continuation of trees, doorways, and windows: hinting at life, growth, opportunity, transformation, and spirituality.

Art gives me a phenomenal sense of creation. In my journey as an artist, I hope to continue my experimentation with the tactile elements of texture and the dynamic element of color.