December Gallery Hop Remembers Liz Neumann

Liz painting at Paint Historic Wheeling

Liz painting at Paint Historic
Wheeling

A retrospect of the painting career of Elizabeth (Liz) Neumann will be the December show at ARTWORKS around town. Each month Artworks opens new shows in each of their two galleries. The opening will be Friday, December 5th, from 5:30 to 8pm, with a free reception at the Artworks gallery in the Centre Market, 2200 Market Street, Wheeling.

Liz’s paintings will be shown in the large Studio Gallery. In the North Gallery will be the artwork of Martins Ferry Middle and High School students of Natalie Zambori.

Liz Neumann was the “face” of the art community in Wheeling until her death in April of this year. Starting as a young girl illustrating a Girl Scout calendar at the age of 10; she was still painting, taking lessons, and participating in shows until her death at 89. Her love of art and its dissemination to all, was her mission. She used a quote from Robert Henri’s book THE ART SPIRIT to voice her love of her craft, “Art is, after all, only a trace-like, a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness.”

Capturing a European Landscape

Capturing a European Landscape

After working in acrylic, oil, and watercolor, Liz found acrylic suited her best, often workedwith a palette knife. Her paintings often portrayed her beloved Foxberry Farm, where she also held plein aire painting events for her fellow artists of Artworks. Many of her landscapes were painted in Europe during her painting trips with the Journees de Pienture, a group of international artists gathered from England, France, Switzerland, Germany, as well as other parts of the United States. Her work shows her love of the earth, its color, texture and vibrancy. Emulating her favorite artist, Van Gogh, Liz’s work always had a connection to her life and her travels which often included her large immediate family.

Painting at Foxberry

Painting at Foxberry

Her distinctive style has been attractive to many patrons and her work hangs in numerous local homes and offices. Through the Journees de Pienture, her work is also in various international collections as well.

Being president of ARTWORKS around town was not just a club office, but rather, a mission. Liz desired to spread interest and participation in the arts through the non-profit charitable Artworks. She was the founder of the annual Lobster Fest and part of the committee which organized and supported the plein aire event, Paint Oglebay and later Paint Historic Wheeling. Liz represented the artists in this community on the Wheeling Arts Commission and was instrumental in creating the Wheeling Arts Fest.

Liz Painting at Wheeling Arts Fest

Liz Painting at Wheeling Arts Fest

As a lifelong resident of Wheeling and Wheeling artist, who often portrayed the area in her paintings, Liz promoted both the arts and her beloved home town hoping to show the best of Wheeling through the painting and support of other local artists.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.