Elizabeth McFalls

Studio Arts: Printmaking
BFA - Columbus College of Art & Design Ohio
MFA - The Cranbrook Academy of Art
e-mail: mcfalls_elizabeth@colstate.edu
office: One Arsenal Place, Room 212
phone: 706-507-8306

Elizabeth R. McFalls received her BFA, from the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio. She received her M.F.A. degree in PrintMedia from The Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2001. Prior to joining CSU she was an Assistant Professor, Digital Arts at The University of Maine at Farmington. Currently, she is teaching Printmaking and Foundation courses in the Department of Art. McFalls’ drawings and prints have been included in numerous group exhibitions, regionally and nationally. Recent solo shows have included The Confederate Dead, Harrisburg, PA and Southern Charm, in Gallatin, TN.

Artist statement

To some degree my work is autobiographical, but void of personal aspects. As a result, revealing, concealing, and reinventing truths are central to my art making process, both physically and conceptually. The act of drawing lends itself to the revealing/concealing process, which is seen in the way my drawings are almost “overdrawn” to convey a search for truth. The process becomes symbolic of the moments I am searching out; moments where the portraits begin to reveal death or loss under the façade of tragedy, beauty, and life.

It is in these moments I begin to question how we categorize ourselves and relate to one another through the veil of history. Specifically, I use images from Southern Appalachia where historically a dedication to the concept of family or an ideal has resulted in heartbreak and the images I create reflect that same sentiment. They have stereotypically stood as icons of sacrifice, and are chosen for their iconic values in relationship to honor. While romanticizing these historical icons, I am actually removing preconceived stereotypes based on class and historical references by extracting the figure from their original context. This allows 150 year old images to have contemporary relevance to current issues of betrayal, tragedy, deceit, and sacrifice.

For an exhibition history view resume (pdf)

Selected works