Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liz West. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Liz, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Both my parents work/worked as artists, with studios at home. Right through my childhood, I was exposed to the art world via conversations, art making, seeing artworks (in artists studios, and in museums and galleries). As an adult and when choosing a career, I was either going to rebel against this teaching, or be part of it. Often my parents would host curators and other artists at home, which gave me valuable insight into their world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I make artworks that range in scale from the intimate to the monumental. I use a variety of materials and explore the use of light, by blurring the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, design and painting to create works that are both playful and immersive.

I create vivid environments that mix luminous colour and radiant light. I aim to provoke a heightened sensory awareness in the viewer through my works. I am interested in exploring how sensory phenomena can invoke psychological and physical responses that tap into our own deeply entrenched relationships to colour. My investigations into the relationship between colour and light is often realised through an engagement between materiality and a given site. Our understanding of colour can only be realised through the presence of light. By playing and adjusting colour, I bring out the intensity and composition of my spatial arrangements.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think it is really important to trust the artists vision. Many people have a preconceived ideas about what art is, and should be. However, there are so many art forms and disciplines to explore, each with their own merits, that suit different spaces and locations, that I feel people should be more open minded about what ‘Art’ is. A recent example of this is, when I was travelling to the airport (for work) in a taxi. The driver asked me what I did, I said I was an artist. He instantly assumed I was a painter; ‘What do you paint?’ – I don’t. ‘Oh OK, what do you sculpt?’ – I don’t. ‘What do you draw?’… At this point and once at my destination, I had to pull out my phone and show him photos of my work. As a ‘normal’ member of society, he did not realise that art could be made of light.

In short, I feel that society need to be more aware of what art can be outside of their fixed parameters.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I have never been interested in making them, mostly because my work is very analogue and I am interested in ‘real’ things rather than digital replicas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liz-west.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizweststudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizWestStudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizweststudio/
• Twitter: https://x.com/LizWestStudio

Image Credits

The photo credits appear in the file names. Please refer to these.