How does an abstract painting evolve? How does an artist evolve from a representational painter to an artist of semi-abstraction? Follow the train of thought and vision as Elizabeth Torak explains how 30 years of representational painting laid the foundation for her semi-abstract technique. Using a still life set-up as her starting point, Elizabeth will demonstrate the improvisational process through which she creates her semi-abstract work.
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A professional artist for 30 years, Elizabeth Torak has exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country including the San Diego Art Institute and the Butler Museum of American Art; she has received over 40 awards and is listed in Who’s Who in America and the Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the U.S.: Colonial to 2002.

In 2011, her monumental oil, The Feast of Venus I, was the centerpiece of a solo exhibit, The Feast of Venus I: The Artist’s Process at the Wilson Museum in Manchester, Vermont. The exhibit included eight oil studies and thirty-seven preparatory drawings. The Feast of Venus I was also the subject of a feature article in October 2012 issue of The Artist’s Magazine.

Elizabeth Torak: Making Emotional Connections with Your Subject, an article describing Torak’s teaching technique and philosophy, appeared in the November 2009 issue of American Artist Workshop.

In 1994 Ms. Torak was the subject of a feature article in American Artist Magazine. Her work and techniques are profiled in the book “Creative Oil Painting, Techniques from 15 Master Painters” by M. Stephen Doherty.

Elizabeth Torak lives in Pawlet, Vermont with her husband and fellow painter Thomas Torak. She is represented by Helmholz Fine Art in New York City and Dorset, VT.