“The figure has been a common denominator in my work for some time. I respond emotively to the figure and it has become a way to talk about the human condition on an individual and intimate level.
My work deals with concepts revolving around the human condition, emotional space and the balance between what is absolute and what is wished for. I combine wood, paint, paper and a variety of other materials to create layers and visceral narratives.
The underlying essence of these two works is signified by their titles—Rising and Falling. One figure represents an ascending state while the other represents a descendent from something or somewhere. Being still is absent and that absence is in itself important. That is why the shadows of each figure are important to the overall work.”
Elizabeth Spotswood Spencer received a BFA from Murray State University, Kentucky, in woodworking and functional design, as well as an MFA from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the Whangarei District Council, Whangarei, New Zealand.
A studio artist and instructor at Craven Community College in New Bern, NC, Spencer has led workshops at major craft schools in the U.S., and she has received numerous grants and awards. Her work has been exhibited widely