Artist
Liz Harvey
Mixed Media & the Natural World
Liz Harvey
Themes:
Natural Forms and Organic Structures, Fragile and Threatened Habitats, Materiality: Sand, Shells, Bark & Water, Controlled vs. Spontaneous Processes
Meet Liz Harvey
Mixed media artist Liz Harvey creates work inspired by natural forms and fragile habitats, working in painting, ceramics, and installation from her studio near Perth.
Liz paints in watercolour, mixed media, and oils, and also works in ceramics and installation. Her work in all media is inspired by the infinite variety and beauty of natural forms such as shells, leaves, and insects, and she aims to communicate her response to the fragile and threatened habitats of which they are a part. When working in watercolour, she often incorporates materials such as sand and imprints of seashells, leaves, or pine needles.
Recent work has included ceramics and installation, continuing her exploration of the forms and physicality of natural materials.
Whatever medium she is working with, she enjoys the balance between control and the spontaneous, unpredictable interactions of her materials.
She has recently been working outside, exploring ways of responding to specific locations, for example, by using flowing water or the textures of tree bark.
She has a particular interest in moths, which are a recurrent theme in her work.
Education
Liz Harvey holds a BA (Hons) in Art History from Clare College, University of Cambridge (1986), an MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of St Andrews (2010), and an MFA in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee (2025).
Biography
Born in Yorkshire, Liz Harvey has been involved in creative practice in various forms for several decades.
She began painting around 2003, after running a craft knitwear business for many years, and has since developed a largely self-taught artistic practice.
Liz has worked as a semi-professional artist since around 2006, exhibiting widely and selling through galleries, exhibitions, and open studio events.
Liz recently completed an MFA at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and currently works from a Wasps studio space in Newburgh.
Awards
Liz has presented several solo exhibitions, including shows at Brevonart Gallery in Doncaster (2008 and 2010), Skarpans Gallery in Mariehamn, Åland, Finland (2014), and Black Sand, White Sand at Gairloch Heritage Museum (2019). Her most recent solo exhibition was held at the John Muir Centre in Pitlochry (2024). She has also participated in the Pittenweem Arts Festival in 2018 and 2019.
Professional language Experience
Liz studied German and Norwegian during her early university years, spending a year at a Norwegian Folk High School on an arts and crafts programme. She also worked summer jobs in Norway as a student, on farms and in a hotel. Her later language experiences have largely been through holiday travel in Sweden—where she has family connections—and Norway.
