Elizabeth Taft

Elizabeth Taft lives on Martha’s Vineyard and paints primarily on the island and neighboring Nantucket, working exclusively outdoors and directly from observation. Her process is shaped by shifting light, weather, and the natural elements, requiring quick decisions and an intuitive response to the landscape. She describes painting outside as entering a quiet, almost sacred space — a place of focus where the land, sky, and atmosphere guide the work.

Taft creates studies on wooden panels over one or two days, returning at the same time of day to maintain consistent light. These pieces carry a sense of immediacy and certainty, with color and composition resolved in the moment. She often expands a composition by adding panels, forming diptychs or triptychs, and embraces the character of reused panels, allowing traces of earlier paintings to enrich new ones.

For larger works, Taft begins with small studies before stretching linen and preparing it with rabbit‑skin glue and a traditional white‑lead ground. These paintings evolve over weeks, months, or even years, as she revisits the same locations to refine color, proportion, and atmosphere. By the time a piece is complete, she feels deeply connected to the place — as though it has become part of her.