By Valencia Wolf
Country life and family are both the inspiration and deepest pleasure of the British born textile artist, Elizabeth Orchard. She was a curious and creative child who grew up in the countryside of northern England and found nature to be her best friend.
From an early age, drawing and painting have always been her most expressive creative outlet. After a life-changing experience almost 20 years ago, she joined her youngest daughter who was studying in Florence and fell in love with the beauty of the city and countryside. Anxious to capture this new experience, she began to paint and soon her oil and acrylic canvases were drawing attention. Gallery showings evolved, architects and interior decorators came calling and private commissioned pieces became elaborate collaborations. Always mixing the pigments by hand and applying with both a knife and brush, Elizabeth’s contemporary paintings have captured fans world wide and earned her a reputable spot in the art world. About ten years ago, a friend brought Elizabeth a hand-painted sarong she wore as her wedding dress and asked if she would create a canvas painting of the sarong for their home as a memorial. The beautiful sarong inspired Elizabeth to try her creative talents hand-painting on silk.