Liz Ruest

I’ve been contemplating history: where we come from and how we got here. I am fascinated by contrasts: detail against simplicity, or timelessness in nature versus artifacts showing the effects of time passing. I try for a sense of age in my work, but am of course making a new piece each time, another opposing set of forces.

I start with travel or family photos, alter them on the computer, and then transfer them to paper, matte medium, or plates. I combine the photo transfers with monoprints and collage elements in layers to create something unique. Each of these steps has elements o...

I’ve been contemplating history: where we come from and how we got here. I am fascinated by contrasts: detail against simplicity, or timelessness in nature versus artifacts showing the effects of time passing. I try for a sense of age in my work, but am of course making a new piece each time, another opposing set of forces.

I start with travel or family photos, alter them on the computer, and then transfer them to paper, matte medium, or plates. I combine the photo transfers with monoprints and collage elements in layers to create something unique. Each of these steps has elements of spontaneity, speed, and even surprise, but the whole process takes time to meld, and gives me the ability to shape the design, and appreciate the humor of how little I’m controlling the outcome.