A LIFETIME OF ART

As a child growing up during the great depression in rural Manchester, Illinois, Elisabeth Baker remembers what a delight it was opening that brand new box of crayons. And whenever she received a new coloring book she marveled at the wonderful large pictures she was going to color. Elisabeth went to school in a one room school house where art classes were not offered. There was no exposure to art except through those wonderful large coloring books which were not plentiful during those years.  One day a classmate showed Betty how to make a profile of a woman’s face on a chalkboard. From that moment Betty discovered a love for drawing and a hidden talent emerged.

After receiving some paper dolls as a child, Betty found a way to make more paper dolls by cutting them out of any piece of cardboard or heavy paper that she could find. She made the dresses out of wallpaper rolls or cartoons in newspapers. By the time Betty was a junior in high school, she was proficient enough to draw portraits of her sisters and herself.

After high school, she moved to Bloomington and attended Illinois State University where she took one semester of art. This was where she was introduced to oil paints on canvas and she began painting. She was married in 1956 but remained committed to her art by creating original birthday and Christmas cards for family and friends, and of course, the paper dolls.  She also catered to her husband’s love for wildlife with her many pen and ink drawings and paintings of scenery and animals. Her subject matter expanded after visiting and eventually moving to Florida where she drew or painted Florida landscapes and wildlife.

Through the years she developed a special talent for recreating pictures of early 1900’s children and old fashioned costumes and has included these in several hand drawn books, one of which depicts her own childhood experiences. From pastels and acrylics to wood burning and carving, she has a huge art repertoire that displays her love of all things relating to art.

This exhibit is only a sampling of the many pieces of art that Betty has created in her lifetime.  Please take time to enjoy this exhibit and be sure to view some of her works located in the glass case in the lobby of the Prairie Arts Center.