Elizabeth Bartolomeo

Kids, Teen, and Adults Art Instructor

Elizabeth Bartolomeo is a professional fine artist and Certified Art Teacher from Austin, Texas. She has been creating art for the last 35 years, and she began painting at the young age of 15. She believes that the process of creating art is “the ultimate mindfulness meditation”, and she is passionate about making art and art classes accessible to all people. Through her encouraging and nurturing approach to teaching all of her students in kids online art classes, teen online art classes and adult online art classes alike, she helps her students develop confidence in their unique, creative abilities and authentic self-expression. In her online art classes, she strives to offer a welcoming and safe space to learn, laugh, and to feel proud of one’s accomplishments.

Elizabeth began her artistic career as an acrylic painter and oil painter focused on realistic portrait paintings of both people and animals. In time, she embraced a multidisciplinary approach to include art supplies including collage, charcoal, pencil, and story to form layered artworks that strive for beauty and humor.

“I believe that art can heal our broken selves. I believe that art is about loving ourselves and the beauty of the broken parts, and that art is a gift we give to ourselves. Art is the process and the result. Art is joy. Art is pain. Art is completely our own and no one else’s. Art allows us to transcend reality and dream of the impossible. while the imagination soars,” she shares about why she is passionate about making and teaching art. “When I teach, I notice that people have an idealized vision of art. They strive for perfection, but by wanting perfection, they have already anticipated their failure. Art isn’t about being perfect. It isn’t about how realistic something looks. I want people in my virtual art classes to break the idea of perfection. In the theory of Wabi Sabi, the artist makes a near-perfect vessel and then breaks it. They then put the vessel back together with gold to highlight the beauty of its brokenness. I think people are like this and by extension, their art. Every time we begin a line, a drawing, and we put pen to paper, we are taking a risk of failure. However, failure is just a step in the direction of where we want to go. Art teaches us to become comfortable with the idea that maybe we don’t know where we are going, and that ‘not knowing’ is okay. Through experimentation, we realize that perfection is not the goal, experiencing the process, the exploration and the flow in the moment is the goal.”

Elizabeth earned her Art Degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. She has been a committed teacher ever since, and for the last 10 years, Elizabeth has been an educator in the Austin Independent School District working with children with disabilities.

Elizabeth is inspired by her life experiences that are filled with the vibrancy of children and animals. She finds tranquility in her garden and joy in the process of creating art. It is typical for rooms in her house to change color on a whim, and at times, her cat has purple fur because they napped on her palette of paint.