Sommerville, Elisabeth: Stone Lithographs (18 artworks)

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Full Biography
Statement

Elisabeth (Betty) Sommerville knew from an early age that art would be a lifelong passion. Betty has a deep respect for nature, which comes from her childhood in Alberta and her Métis heritage. Her love of the big skies, sweeping prairie, foothills and birch trees where she grew up inspired her art. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1963, then continued her printmaking studies in lithography, etching and serigraphs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, followed by Malaspina Printmakers on Granville Island.

Her chosen medium is stone lithography. It involves drawing on large, flat stones which are then etched and prints are pulled by hand on a lithographic press. Her prints of birds and birch trees are detailed and realistic. Her more recent landscapes experiment with different moods and shadows created by natural light and weather.

"I embrace stone lithography as it gives me the freedom & vesatility I need to draw. Because the medium has a reductive quality, it gives me the capability to draw with incredible detail. I am driven to follow this path. It allows me to express the sheer joy of ‘drawing in color’."

Exhibitions: Malaspina Printmakers Gallery, Vancouver; Burnaby Art Gallery, Burnaby; Community Arts Council of Richmond, Richmond; Gallery Ohm, Yokohama, Japan.

Awards: Award of Excellence, “Works on Paper”  & “Open Print Show”, Federation Gallery, Vancouver.

Collections: Corporate & private in Canada, the US, Europe & Australia.

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Artist's Print; Original Prints

Prints that are hand-pulled by the artist, as found in this category, and are also by definition "Original Prints".