Elizabeth Ward Tuttle

About the Artist

Watercolor 
Paintings

Elizabeth Tuttle lives and paints in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Working in multiple media, she paints from life in her studio or outdoors, en plein aire.  Elizabeth enjoys painting on her travels throughout the U.S. and occasional international trips. Presently, her focus is landscape paintings in oil.

Elizabeth's oil painting "Woodland Path" was awarded Second Place in the Shenandoah Valley Art Center's 2009 Show and was accepted into the BSSS 2010 Landscape Show. Her watercolor painting "California Girls" was accepted into the 2009 Roanoke College Biennial Show. Her painting "From Scratch" was accepted into the 2008 Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibit and was awarded Second Place in the Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society's 2009 Show.. She is a member of the Beverley Street Studio School (BSSS) in Staunton, Virginia,  the Shenandoah Valley Art Center (SVAC) , Waynesboro, Virginia., The Paletteers, and the Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society (SVWS), Harrisonburg, Virginia.  She has exhibited in juried shows with Roanoke College, Virginia Watercolor Society, Beverley Street Studio, SVAC Galleries and Art at the Mill in Clarke County, VA. Elizabeth is a signature member of SVWS and an exhibiting member of Co-Art Gallery in Staunton.  Her work is in private and public collections in states from Virginia to California. 

Elizabeth earned a B.A. in painting from Guilford College and continues to be a serious student of painting. “I love everything about painting, from the initial inspiration, through the painting process, to the magic of completing an image that “works.”  I work primarily in my home studio (basically my entire house). I also enjoy painting beside a stream, in the woods along the Appalachian Trail, or on the bluffs of the Northern California coast. I am moved and influenced by the natural world. I believe that every painting is an expression of who I am and the experiences of my life. Painters are often asked how long it takes to complete a painting. My answer is, ‘All my life’.”

A native of Rockingham County, NC, Elizabeth grew up on a tobacco farm. She credits her dad with her love of nature and her creative bent. Her son, Wayne, lives in San Francisco with his wife, Penny and son, Max. Her daughter, Toni, lives in Augusta County, VA with her husband, David, and sons, Gabe & Grayson. Elizabeth continued her formal education, earning a Masters' degree from James Madison University and Ph. D. from the University of Virginia. She retired from her Assistant Professor/Administrative Faculty position at JMU  to pursue her painting and travel interest. In early 2008, she participated in a two week painting and cultural trip to Antigua, Guatemala with the Beverley Street Studio School. Summer 2009  brought an month long trip to the northwest US. Other interests are writing, basket weaving and water garden design. "I have adopted an anonymous quote that sums up quite well how I live my life, 'If it's not worth overdoing, leave it alone.'" Another favorite, attributed to Goethe, "Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." 

Born with curiosity!
                                                    You can choose to be...
                                                                             only as old as your youngest grandchild!
                                                                Okay, now that is as young as Max, born June 2009!
                                                         (below) Kayaking helps! The artist on the Intracoastal Waterway, NC