last word
LANDSCAPE ARTIST
Elizabeth Wilson
GALL SIGLER | SPECIAL TO THE JE
M obility is everything for a
landscape artist, so when the
COVID-19 lockdown and
travel restrictions were issued, the scen-
ery that fed Elizabeth Wilson’s creativity
for decades suddenly became inacces-
sible. “I was stuck,” she said.

Beyond professional obstacles, the
pandemic was a challenging time for
Wilson on a personal level.

“I live alone, so the silence was deafen-
ing,” she said. Health concerns dissuaded
her from accepting numerous opportu-
nities, such as in-person interviews.

Yet instead of waiting idly for the
restrictions to loosen, Wilson took
advantage of the free time to paint.

For the first time in decades, she was
able to dedicate consecutive working
days to her projects.

She began to paint Long Island land-
scapes she let her memory conjure, all
from her home in Lower Merion. She
also turned the focus on her close sur-
roundings, painting the forest adjacent
to her house.

“For me, it was a luxury,” she said. “I
had unlimited time to work in my studio
… that was the most positive thing.”
Now, in her first solo museum exhi-
bition, “Elizabeth Wilson: Spirit of
Place,” Wilson reflects on the pan-
demic and the past two decades. The
30 landscape paintings portray scenery
from rural England and Italy and the
rocky beaches of Long Island, among
other works.

Wilson traces her passion for art to her
upbringing. “I grew up in a household where there
were a lot of beautiful objects,” she said.

She recalled finding a 1973-’74
Sotheby’s auction house sale catalog as a
child, where she saw paintings and other
items for auction that stimulated her
imagination. And as she rummaged through her
parents’ belongings during the pan-
demic, Elizabeth Wilson discovered that
30 her knack for art was inherited.

In a dusty portfolio and a brown box
from her father’s time as a gunner in
World War II, Wilson found the source
of her talent — in the form of her father’s
charcoal drawings of airplanes and her
mother’s work, some of which were col-
laborations. “I couldn’t believe how much good art
was there,” she said.

In 1978, Wilson matriculated at the
Corcoran School of Art in Washington,
D.C. After a year, she transferred to the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,
where she graduated in 1984.

While Wilson began mainly in fig-
urative work, she later became known
SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
for her landscape paintings. Among the
many honors Wilson received are the
Sandra Karlin Award, the National Penn
Bank Award and the Catherine Gibbons
Granger Award for Painting.

Wilson’s focus on landscape work
congealed following a trip to Israel and
Egypt. Urged by her interest in John
Singer Sargent’s works on Middle Eastern
landscape, Wilson traveled to Israel, stay-
ing for a month in the kibbutz Netzer
Sereni. Wilson’s career includes numerous
international ventures. Some of her
most notable landscape works depict the
British Isles. In 1996, Wilson began trav-
eling to Great Britain regularly, exploring
landscapes to paint, and even considered
a permanent move.

“I really wanted to live there so badly
… Somehow, I feel genetically linked {to
Britain},” she said.

While Wilson says that Judaism does
not factor into her artwork, Wilson is
intrigued by the amount of great Jewish
artists. “I am aware that I am Jewish, I am
proud that I am Jewish,” she said.

Wilson feels a particular kinship with
Isaac Levitan, a 19th-century Russian
Jewish painter whose approach to paint-
ing and looking at light coincides with
Wilson’s. In conjunction with her career as an
artist, Wilson worked as an educator for
decades. In 1988, Wilson was asked to
teach a drawing course to architecture
students at Temple University.

“That was supposed to be for one
semester, and I ended up staying for
seven years,” she said.

Wilson later taught at the University
of the Arts and Philadelphia University.

Although Wilson thoroughly enjoyed
teaching, after about 25 years she decided
to take a step back from teaching full-time.

“Teaching is a lot of work, and I am
dedicated to my students … it is a lot of
time. I spent hours and hours,” she said.

“As rewarding as it is to teach, I want to
use this time to make art myself.”
Still, Wilson hosted a workshop at the
Art Students League of New York in 2015
and was invited in 2018 to teach a sum-
mer course at JSS in Civita, in Italy.

Despite her achievements, art was
not always Wilson’s priority. When her
mother was battling cancer and her
father faced heart surgery, Wilson placed
her career on the backburner for 15 years.

Wilson does not doubt that she made
the right decision.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,”
she said.

Wilson’s exhibition is on view at the
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in
Altoona from Sept. 2-Dec. 4. JE
Gall Sigler is an intern for the Jewish
Exponent. Courtesy of Elizabeth WIlson
MADE THE MOST OF PANDEMIC-CREATED FREE TIME



SEASHORE SALE
LOVE where you LIVE
VOTED ATLANTIC COUNTY
BOARD OF REALTORS
2020 REALTOR OF
THE YEAR!
*TOP 10
in the country out of all
Berkshire Hathaway agents
*GCI 2019
NEW LISTING!
MARGATE $5,750,000
NEW CONSTRUCTION! CUSTOM
ESTATE WITH 5 BED, 4.5 BATHS,
IN-GROUND POOL, ELEVATOR
& LARGE 3RD FLOOR DECK!
NEW LISTING!
OCEAN CITY
$799,000 OCEAN CITY BEAUTY!
WELL MAINTAINED 3
BEDROOM, 2 BATH HOME
LOCATED ON BAY AVE!
www.HartmanHomeTeam.com NEW LISTING!
LONGPORT $2,550,000
SOUTHSIDE LONGPORT NEW-
ER CONSTRUCTION WITH
BEAUTIFUL OCEAN VIEWS!!
5 BEDROOMS, 5.5 BATHS
NEW PRICE!
MARGATE $799,000
GREAT LOCATION NEAR
EVERYTHING! THIS BEAUTI-
FUL 3 BED, 2 BATH, TOWN-
HOUSE CAN BE YOURS!
NEW LISTING!
VENTNOR NEW LISTING!
$2,300,000 MASSIVE BEACHBLOCK ESTATE.

ENDLESS DIRECT OCEANVIEWS
THAT GET BETTER GET BETTER
& BETTER ON EACH FLOOR!
NEW LISTING!
ABSECON VENTNOR
ANTIQUE & FINE FURNITURE
Paintings & Sculptures
$1,699,999 CALIFORNIA
CONTEMPORARY HOME FEATURES A ROOFTOP, IN-
GROUND/ ABOVE-GROUND POOL,
& GLIMPSE OF THE OCEAN!
NEW PRICE!
$579,000 4 BEDROOM, 2.5 BATH TUDOR
STYLE HOME LOCATED IN
THE LOVELY NEIGHBORHOOD
KNOWN AS ABSECON SHORES!
VENTNOR $289,000
PET FRIENDLY CONDO LOCATED
ON A BEAUTIFUL PEACEFUL
VENTNOR BLOCK, THE OCEAN
IS JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY!
WANTED TO BUY
WANTED TO BUY
HHT Office
609-487-7234 9211 Ventnor Avenue, Margate
8017 Ventnor Avenue, Margate
NEW LISTING!
NEW PRICE!
MARGATE $1,250,000
AMAZING WATER VIEWS
FROM THIS TOWNHOME
LOCATED DIRECTLY
ACROSS FROM THE BAY!
MARGATE NEW LISTING!
ATLANTIC CITY
$259,000 THIS SPACIOUS 12TH FLOOR
LUXURY HIGH RISE UNIT FEA-
TURES 1 BEDROOM, 1.5 BATH
AND BREATHTAKING VIEWS!
$839,000 WELCOME TO THE BEACH
HOUSE! TWO-STORY TOWN-
HOME JUST STEPS TO THE
BEACH WITH A ROOFTOP DECK!
NEW LISTING!
ATLANTIC CITY
$149,900 WELCOME TO THE GRAND
ADMIRAL! COMPLETELY REMOD-
ELED MUST SEE 1 BEDROOM,
1 BATH ON THE 4TH FLOOR!
HOMES FOR SALE
The DeSouzas
are Back
on Bustleton!
The Summer Market is still HOT!
Now is the time to list
your home with US!
Things Change Over
The Years But Not
LOYALTY, DEDICATION,
SERVICE & HARD WORK
Call Andi or Rick DeSouza for an appointment
& we will deliver: Results, Not Promises!
RE/MAX ONE REALTY
Eric DeSouza, Associate Broker
Andrea DeSouza, Sales Associate
Eric Cell 215-431-8300/8304 • Bus 215-953-8800
rickdesouza70@gmail.com Commerical Office Space For Rent
IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY
650 Square Feet of a
Newly Renovated Office Space
Also Vintage Modern,
Mission & Nakashima Etc.

HIGHEST PRICES PAID
215-663-1813 LOCATED INSIDE
ELKINS PARK HOUSE CONDOMINIUM
7900 OLD YORK ROAD, ELKINS PARK, PA
FIRST FLOOR LOCATION
ALL INQUIRIES: PLEASE CONTACT
THE ELKINS PARK HOUSE
215-635-0601 Sgt. Kleinman
USMC Force Recon.

Jordan Kleinman
Sales Associate
Berkshire Hathaway
Without the right help, buying or selling a
home can be complicated and stressful. It is
my goal to make your purchase or sale go as
quickly and smoothly as possible, so you can
relax and live in the moment.

Call me today to take the stress out of your move.

Also if you have friends, relatives or business
associates looking to purchase or sell please pass
my contract information along to them.

Jordan Kleinman
9218 Ventnor Ave, Margate, NJ 08402
Cell: 609.335.3904
Bus: 609.822.4200 x 6995
jrdkleinman@aol.com www.jordankleinman.foxroach.com
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 31