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Artist Spotlight: Elizabeth St. Hilaire Acrylic and Paper Collage Artist
Artist Spotlight: Elizabeth St. Hilaire Acrylic and Paper Collage Artist
Elizabeth St. Hilaire is an acrylic and paper collage artist, as well as one of Princeton’s newest Ambassadors! We love her unique style of art and how she uses Princeton Brushes to create her beautiful pieces. Learn more about Elizabeth and her favorite Princeton brushes to use for acrylic painting below!
What was your journey like to become an artist?
All I ever wanted to be was an artist since I was a little kid. It was the ONE thing that I was always good at, and it gave me self-confidence. In grade school, the art teacher would often show my work to the class and give me praise–I most definitely never received accolades from the math or gym teacher! I had an amazing public school art teacher in high school who mentored and encouraged me, and I ultimately earned my BFA from Syracuse University.
What inspires you?
What inspires me is going to art galleries and museums and looking at the work of others. I love seeing how they approach creative solutions, their brush work, use of color, size of pieces, and media.
Why did you choose your medium?
I chose my medium to loosen up my style. I have a BFA from Syracuse University and in the late 80’s the focus was realism. I found my work was too tight and representational.
I began adding paper into my painting to see if I could loosen my brushwork by painting over it. Then I started using it to render some of the subject matter, and then I decided to try to “paint” the entire piece with paper. It has been a process of evolution and experimentation for about 20 years. I have been a workshop instructor for the last 15 years.
Why do you use acrylic paint for your underpaintings?
I use acrylic paint for my underpainting because it is vibrant and permanent. It does not reactivate with water. The glue I use to apply my collage papers over the top is also an acrylic product, so they layer quite nicely together.
What do you like about acrylic paint?
I love the vibrancy and the quick drying time of acrylic paint. When I am excited about getting into the collage layer of a new piece of art, the best thing about acrylic paint is that it’s dry and ready to glue over very quickly. I also use acrylic paint to gel print all my own collage papers and it’s wonderful for that as well because the quick dry time allows me to employ multiple layers of techniques almost immediately.
What are you favorite Princeton Brushes?
I love the Velvetouch for acrylic painting. The tips are sharp, and the bristles are soft but very responsive. I work exclusively with the Catalyst Filbert size 8 short handle brush for my collage glue application. The stiff bristles make it perfect for applying the collage layers easily.
What’s the best piece of art advice you’ve been given?
Often artists are reluctant to raise their prices for fear that they won’t sell or for fear that they are not worthy. The best advice I have been given with regards to my art came from other artists who encouraged me to raise my prices due to the elaborate and intricate nature of my work. When your peers give you words of wisdom, it’s a good idea to take it to heart!
What’s one acrylic painting tip that you can share with our audience?
The best way to blend and soften the edges between colors is to work quickly and use a wet-into-wet technique!
You can find Elizabeth on Instagram @paperpaintingscollage, on Facebook here, and at her website!
If you’re looking for the perfect acrylic paint brush, Princeton Brush offers many options! Some of our favorites are Catalyst long handle or short handle, Velvetouch, and Summit!