Artist Spotlight

Elizabeth Jurado

Name: Elizabeth Jurado

City: Fort Lauderdale

Birthplace: Bronx, New York

Artistic Medium: Acrylic painting and printmaking (woodcuts, lino-cut, acrylic)

How did you get started?
I was naturally talented in drawing as a kid and was always taking on projects at school (posters etc.) I did not start taking my art seriously until 1999 when I signed up for a printmaking class at BCC with artist Robert Flynn. I was a natural! I entered the 1999 Florida Artist Book Competition at the Broward County Main Library (a juried show) with my prints and made it. About 2003, I started to paint with acrylics, translating what I had done with my printmaking into paintings. Again, this worked out really well and was entering juried shows and making it. Now, I continue to grow artistically, experimenting and learning more with each new painting. Last August, I had my first solo show sponsored by ArtsUnited. I recently won best in category for printmaking at the 45^th Hortt  Competition, in June at ArtServe.

Who or what are your influences?
Robert Flynn, a great artist and teacher---wonderfully witty.  Frieda Kahlo and Diego de Rivera and a number of artists from the expressionist movement.

What inspires your work?
My first inspiration was a need to heal the emotional wounds and depression that resulted from my childhood. My print artist book, titled  Inside Myself, which is a permanent addition to the Bienes Rare Book collection at the Broward Main Library, grew out of this self-healing work. Now, my inspirations are ‘the salt of the Earth’ people, characters such as my aunt Mina the story teller, who smoked cigars and collected Spanish fans, people who have lived life, been chewed up and spit out and who have done a little chewing up themselves.

How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
I was born and raised in New York City, but I am Latin American through and through, My mother is Cuban and my grandparents from my father’s side are from Colombia and Panama. I lived on Miami Beach Ocean Drive and 10^th  from 1971 to 1972, later I moved to Hollywood then Fort Lauderdale. This area is a like a delicious slow-cooked stew of multi cultures. I love it.

How would you describe your work?
Expressionistic.

What has been the most unusual reaction to your work from the public?
At my solo show’s opening, a young man sang to me a song he had written for his mother, he said my work touched him and he understood the love/pain my paintings expressed.

What would you like to achieve as an artist?
More than anything, I would like to expand and have my work seen in other cities. I would love to have my own studio; I cannot afford this small luxury and work out of my kitchen and small dining area. I would like to win a Florida Artist fellowship so that I can continue to grow as an artist.

Where is your work available?
I can be contacted at lmnkey56@aol.com

If you are an artist and would like to be a part of Artist Spotlight, contact Mary Damiano at StarrWriter2000@aol.com