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Elizabeth Ganji, PSA
Elizabeth Ganji is a self-taught artist
specializing in soft-pastel. “I
grew up watching my mother set up her paints in the tiny laundry-room, finding
only brief escapes from the four of us children - not an easy feat for a stay
at home mom. It was from her that
I learned the foundation principles of art. Apprehensive about the prospect of living my life as a
starving artist, I chose to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Business from
Montana State University, Bozeman, in lieu of pursuing an art degree. At the time, I had no idea just how
valuable the business knowledge would be in starting an art career.
“It was the years living in Montana that
intensified my interest in the West and intrigue of the nostalgia encompassing
the last Frontier. I was
introduced to the massive western wildlife such as bears, bison, and elk during
my exploration of the state. Much
of my trekking was done on horseback; the two horses I brought with me to
school. It was Montana in conjunction with my deeply rooted artistic family that
inspired me to paint full time.
the medium
“Several years ago, I converted to the
misunderstood medium of soft pastel. I found I am able to achieve a greater depth and moody atmosphere with
pastel than with my previous mediums of choice. Once I began experimenting with the medium, I was
hooked. Instantly, I switched my media to pastel and have never looked back.
“Technically,
the art of pastel is painting with pure pigment held together by a minimal
binder in the form of sticks. It
is this purity that makes my paintings pop with intensity and glow. I enjoy the tactile quality of the
sticks and the dryness of the medium, but it is the immediacy of the pastel
that I value most. I can paint my
heart out without having to wait for layers to dry or colors to mix. I can start and stop with little to no
preparation or cleanup in between sessions (i.e. cleaning brushes), which comes
in handy when you're a stay at home mom.
“As
a wife and a mom, painting fills my "cup" so I can in-turn give back
to my family. It has proven to be
a flexible career in that I can work from anywhere we might find ourselves.”
Elizabeth lives with her husband and two sons in Southwest Washington. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America(PSA), as well as a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast (PSWC), Northwest Pastel Society(NPS), and Women Artists of the West (WAOW). Currently, her work is represented by the Clearwater Gallery in Sisters, OR, and Art on the Boulevard Gallery in Vancouver, WA. 