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

Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I started out selling my paintings to family, friends and friends of friends, which was wonderful and I am so grateful for their support. The first large abstract painting I sold was to an old friend from college, one of my sorority sisters, who saw the painting on social media. That was very exciting but I admit it didn’t feel quite “real”. However, the first time I sold art off of the Saatchi Art website I will never forget!! I can still picture myself opening the email, where and when. It was a pair of paintings!! The best feeling ever!!

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began abstract painting in 2015 by attending a workshop with south Florida artist Brenda Zappitell, I was hooked after that!! Wanting to learn more, I found another teacher, Steven Aimone, and began taking workshops with him a couple times a year and painting part time at home. I had a lot going on personally at the time and the painting really helped me escape my worries. To my surprise, friends began buying pieces I would post on Instagram and I was getting interest from collectors outside my personal network. I decided to officially paint full time and pursue it as a career in 2019, but 2020 and Covid was when I put my full effort into my work. At the time I was in my late 50’s and it seemed like a big risk to start a new career, but I wanted to be a painter when I was young. The expression “if not now, when??” gave me momentum. I had always worked in creative businesses, interior design and home furnishings, but pursuing art as a career was not thought of as a viable option among my family and friends. I think one of the things I am most proud of myself is my ability to persist and persevere, to get past the fear of not being good enough, not having attended art school. It still sneaks up on me, as I know it does for many artists, but I have always been able to push through those feelings. Social media really makes it challenging as we are seeing each other at our best.
My work is for the most part colorful and full of expressive brushstrokes. I love to experiment with many different types of media, I’m definitely and art supply junkie! I also like to do what’s unexpected and try different techniques. Sometimes I work in the traditional manner of my canvas upright using brushes and mark making tools, but sometimes I like to put the canvas on the floor and paint very wet, pushing the puddles across the canvas to create a variety of shapes. I try to be open to the inspiration to change direction and do this, not letting the voice in my head saying “you can’t do that” take hold.
I paint to make myself feel good and that is what I want for people who see my work, to be uplifted. I love beautiful spaces and I want my artwork to contribute to making a space beautiful and a joy to be in.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think the best resources for artists are other artists. I was fortunate to learn this early on in my career. I would attend workshops that would run a few days to a week, where we would all be together at the venue. So much was discussed at meal time, especially dinner over a glass of wine! It was a great education! Now, some of these very artists have there own subscription websites and coaching services for other artists. There is so much valuable information available, you really don’t have to figure it all out yourself because there are artists who came before you willing to share their experience and knowledge.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Ugh! The dreaded Instagram! I think it used to be a lot easier to build a following way back when. The largest growth I had in followers came from doing an art fair during Miami Art Week in 2021, I more than doubled my following that week and the weeks following. I think the reason was the exposure to so many people and the hashtags that so many people were following and using for just a limited amount of time. It was great exposure for me as far as collectors and galleries too. An expensive undertaking and I actually didn’t sell very much but I gained my first galleries and was seen by so many people. The other thing I did for a while was post daily, do reels etc, but now I don’t think social media is as simple.as that anymore. It’s an investment, but hiring an expert, or learning it yourself by taking a course is the way to go. However, it’s a lot to learn, I’ve taken a couple courses and done it myself but it takes time away from painting, so I’m currently looking for someone to help me with it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elizabethbernheisel.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bethbernheiselart