Elizabeth Gomes, a painter based in Sonoma County, California, primarily creates paintings in soft pastels intended to encourage feelings of calmness and presence in the viewer.
Her work centers around noticing small moments of transformation within nature and human relationships. She celebrates finding beauty in less noticed places, and her themes include finding beauty in resilience despite change and aging, and the peace of being present and aware in small moments.
Elizabeth grew up in a small town in rural Illinois, where there were no art classes or teachers. Despite this, she always felt strongly drawn to art and was initially self-taught. She did benefit from occasional trips to Chicago and would draw inspiration from visits to the Chicago Art Institute that continued to feed this passion. She began majoring in art at Michigan State University, but a growing interest in textiles prompted her to move to California and complete a B.F.A. in Textiles at the California College of Arts and Crafts, studying with Carole Beadle, Trude Guermonprez, and Janet Levin.
A change in life circumstances led her to leave art and to work as an occupational therapist in geriatrics for over 30 years. Seeing the beauty in the older people she worked with led her to begin asking their permission to draw them. Eventually, this led to a growing interest in drawing and pastel painting and exploration of other media. Online classes with Loriann Signori and Dawn Emerson have strongly influenced her pastel work.
She has exhibited widely in Sonoma County, where she has won several awards in local shows, and she is gradually expanding to other areas. A highlight was getting accepted into the MOOS 2025 and 2026 shows of the Pastel Society of the West Coast.
As a primarily self-taught artist, Elizabeth has felt the need to reflect deeply on what messages she wants to communicate in her art from her life and her values. Her work conveys a sense of quiet reflection. It is through this awareness that she seeks to share what she values with others.
