Artist Breakthrough Moments | In Conversation with Liz Black
The VAA recently sat down with Liz Black to explore her latest exhibition, her artist residency, and what inspired her to become an artist.
Liz is an abstract digital artist and painter, who recently held the exhibition ‘Digital Discard’ – an exhibition of digital art inspired by sculptures made from used crisps packets. Furthermore, Liz has also been the Artist in Residence at the Courtyard Arts Centre in Hertford throughout August 2025.
Liz is inspired by colour, line, and form, delighting in the impact that these combinations can have on your senses and feelings. Her work often draws inspiration from daily life, creating joyful, vibrant, and captivating pieces.
Keep up to date with Liz’s work: @lizblackartist
I‘ve always been creative but lacked confidence, partly due to an Art Teacher who didn’t like the work I made! As a child I used to spend hours in stationery/art shops gazing at all the pens and notebooks, spending all my pocket money on coloured pens and books.
After my son was born, I found an Artist who ran decorative painting workshops and went as often as I could. I joined a teacher programme and ran workshops from home, and eventually this resulted in my working for the paint company promoting their acrylic paints at demonstrations and workshops. This period of time gave me a fabulous knowledge of working with acrylics which is probably why they are my go-to medium now. I still use the same range and their colours are gorgeous.
Despite all this, I still didn’t feel like an artist so when my son was older I decided to go to University and study Art. I ended up with a BA (First) and an MA (Distinction) in Fine Art, and it was the best decision I made. You don’t need an Art Degree to be an Artist and there are many amazing self-taught Artists, but for me it gave me confidence and a way of working and thinking that shapes my practice on a daily basis.
I don’t think there was a pivotal moment as such, I think it was a path I was always supposed to follow.
What was the pivotal moment that inspired you to become an artist?
You recently held an exhibition of digital art inspired by sculpture made of used crisp packets, can you tell us more about this exhibition, what first sparked the idea?
This collection of work formed the basis of my MA submission. At the time of working on my MA, we took the opportunity to build our own house which resulted in us moving house twice! It meant that I had to put a lot of my materials in storage and therefore found it difficult to work on my art at home. I started using my iPad as a practical solution to this and as part of my process. I then realised that this could be ‘the work’ and not just studies. This sparked my journey into digital art.
I love sculpture and interesting three-dimensional forms. I have previously worked with clay and loved making abstract forms and translating them into two-dimensional images. The Exhibition was inspired by used crisp packets that people sometimes fold and manipulate when at the pub! I found these forms intriguing and used them as inspiration for my digital work. I liked the fact that it gave them a new lease of life, rather than being disposed of once the contents were eaten. I produced work that was minimal, colourful and contemporary, using a photographic printing process which created hanging panels that appeared to float off the wall.
The Exhibition was called ‘Digital Discard – How Do You Fold Yours?’ Creativity can be found anywhere – even in rubbish. I wanted to show how discarded materials could be transformed into something meaningful and inspiring.
The Digital Discard Exhibition was the catalyst for the Residency where I engaged the community in making mini-sculptures out of discarded materials, not just crisp packets. I used these sculptures as inspiration to create a series of works using the Gallery space as my working studio. As the previous work was created digitally, I really wanted to embrace working with paint. It was an amazing experience, the space was incredible and I really enjoyed speaking with visitors about the work and the Residency.
Courtyard Arts Centre has a great community who are engaged and interested in Art. As well as Exhibitions, they run a wide range of workshops which adds to the creative atmosphere and local volunteers work as Stewards to look after the Centre and engage with visitors. I am an introvert by nature and was a bit nervous about working so publicly but everyone was so lovely and supportive that it gave me such a lot of confidence. This really helped me to develop my work as I didn’t feel at all self-conscious and felt I could really let go and be free with my explorations. The large space that I had access to prompted me to work large … creating a 5ft painting! I only just got it in the car!
The resulting Exhibition at the end of the Residency became a display of the Artist’s journey. I called it ‘Trial and Error’ as I wanted to show how an Artist develops ideas from inspiration through to the final work. Visitors had seen parts of my work process, so it seemed to make sense to formalise that with the Exhibition. I had works at various stages of development and produced a leaflet which explained them. Visitors were able to see the connections between initial drawings and subsequent abstracted paintings. The feedback I received was really positive.
During your month-long residency at the Courtyard Arts Centre, how did the space, community, or atmosphere influence the development of your work?
Residencies often provide time for reflection as well as making. What did you discover about your own practice during this period?
This Residency had a huge impact on my practice. I immediately realised that I needed more space to work in. I am quite prolific when I work and having those big walls really helped me to view and reflect on the work, making it easier to make creative decisions. I am fortunate to have a space at home but it has a vaulted ceiling which means I don’t have walls! I am looking into places where I can find a temporary space so that I can rent it as and when I want to develop a body of work.
I also really enjoyed the interaction with others, which I have missed since being at University, so I definitely want to look at ways in which I can interact with other Artists, and also people who can help me develop my career.
I feel so fortunate that Courtyard Arts Centre gave me these opportunities. It was very much about being in the ‘right place at the right time’, but also asking the right questions and making the right suggestions. I think a ‘breakthrough’ can mean different things to different Artists. For me, the whole experience was huge because it gave me confidence and validity as an Artist. I now feel ready to continue looking for other Residency opportunities and developing my practice further.
An exhibition and a residency are often seen as two big breakthroughs for artists. How would you define a breakthrough – are you still chasing one, or do you see your journey as more of a continuous flow?
Looking forward, how do you see this residency and exhibition feeding into the next stage of your practice—what directions are you excited to explore?
The experience has resulted in my taking myself more seriously as an Artist. I have previously dabbled with a website and social media but lacked confidence in what I was posting and what I wanted to say. I am now working with someone to create a digital marketing plan. It is great to have someone to discuss these things with and I feel accountable. It can be hard doing all this by yourself.
I am also exploring other areas where I can extend my practice, maybe developing some clay sculptures. I always have lots of ideas and I can be a bit like a magpie, getting distracted by the new shiny thing. I am trying to be more disciplined and finish projects before getting too excited about the next one!
I‘ve read so many inspiring pieces of advice and whilst they have helped, I don’t think they really sunk in until my Residency. It was a bit scary, but I took the plunge and it has helped me in so many ways. My advice to myself a year ago would be to Stop trying so hard. Enjoy the process, create often, and connect with people who can help you grow. When in doubt, just make it work!
What is one piece of advice you would give to the artist you were a year ago?
See more of Liz’s work: https://www.lizblackartist.com
Do you have your own breakthrough moments to share? We want to hear from you! Email hello@visual-artists.org for more about our Artist Profiling Service.