Elisa Trueman

Biography

In 1986 aged 17 I applied to Southampton College of Art and was accepted onto a degree course....and never went. My philosophy at the time was 'I can only draw when I 'feel' like it and will never be an artist'. There followed much travel, a stint in the Navy, three children and a lengthy civil service career (still trying to escape). I've never regretted not doing the course as I have had a brilliant life. This year I started drawing some pictures just for fun with some sharpies. I really enjoyed it and made some for family who gave me great comments (they're family so they have to right?!). This led to me investigating modern paintings online where I thought 'I could do that' - somewhat naively! I've been trying to teach myself to paint ever since - I am amazed by new techniques and tools and have converted my dining room into a little studio - largely involving covering everything with sheets to avoid splattering it. I love it, it has addictive qualities. I think about painting all the time and my Xmas wish list is full of fan brushes, filberts, acrylic paints and mediums. My family are perplexed and finding gifts in art shops is quite daunting for them. My current projects are flowers which I love but the art world is my oyster and I am very tempted towards completely abstract art. My dream is to conquer painting beautiful beaches and as I live in Cornwall to sell these in the summer by the sea....the battle is still being fought.