Liz Toole. Trees and birds of Africa and the Sussex Downs.

Liz Toole graduated with a degree from the Cardiff Institute in 1996, and then embarked

on an extensive tour of Africa. Often painting on recycled/reclaimed material, her recent

work has depicted imaginary landscapes that have a mysterious, timeless quality.

Trees take on almost human attributes, creating a rather emotional atmosphere.

Her inspiration ranges from the amazing varieties of life encountered whilst

travelling in Africa after graduation, visits to Kew Gardens and winter walks

on the Sussex Downs. She lives and works in Hove, East Sussex.

Liz says ” In the past three years, through rigorous research, I have been exploring

a wide range of subject matter to inspire my paintings, looking at visual and written sources

to fuel my quirky imagination. The names I give my characters play an important role

in defining personalities and, in combining visual images with text.

My characters are placed into humorous and/or bizarre scenarios. I paint using a mixture

of acrylic and pen, mainly onto pieces of re-cycled wood. Using material that once had another

life gives my work an unusual sense of history and is a process that I greatly enjoy. ”