about

Being on or near the water is my happy place!

Hi there! My name is Elizabeth Fraser and I am a spirited oil painter from Portland, Maine, where I have a studio on Munjoy Hill.  I adore color and love playing with it on canvas.

My work is cheerful, bright, expressive, sometimes moody and includes many different subject matters, from coastal seascapes and landscapes to still lifes and pet portraits. I try to capture feelings and spirit through color on canvas.

For me, being an artist means soaking up the beauty that surrounds me and exploring the places and subject matters that spark something inside of me. I start each day with a sunrise walk on the Eastern Promenade with my pups–that always sets the perfect tone for my day–and from there I carve out time to create whether it be in my art studio, outside on location, in my sketchbook or in the kitchen making yummy food.

In 2006 I began a 6 year daily painting project–the goal being to complete and post a painting for sale to my blog each day–and it changed my life as an artist. The exercise in discipline was extraordinary, as it helped me fine tune my ability to see compositions, colors and shapes. Thousands of paintings later, I still paint most days but without the pressure of maintaining a daily painting blog.

And in case you were wondering how the whole pet portrait thing got started, when I began my daily painting project, I would paint our pets from time to time (we had 5 back then). That slowly led to requests for paintings of other peoples pets, and now painting animals is a big part of what I do. And as a huge animal lover and longtime vegan, it fills my heart to get to spend time making such meaningful pet pieces for people.

My partner, Maureen, and I have lived in Portland since 1999 and we currently have 3 pets: Pebbles, a soft, fluffy cockapoo (often mistaken for a stuffed animal); Chickpea, a fluffy, round, long haired calico cat; and Pierre, a peppy, comical young terrier mix with wiry hair.

A few of my favorite things include taking pictures, making and eating tasty vegan cuisine, making pottery, riding my bike, traveling, swimming, beach combing, reading books and of course spending time with friends and family.

Thanks so much for your interest in me and my work! I look forward to having you join me on my ever-evolving art journey!