Elizabeth Akamatsu, Texas Sculpture Group

From Nacogdoches, Texas

Artist Statement:

Art can express the universal human desire for happiness, crucial in this time of the global pandemic. It communicates the importance of embracing the beauty around us, and the challenge of preserving it for future generations.

The elements of my work are process, balance, and a quest for a personal language. The intersection of my appreciation for material with my love of form is what my work is about.

Through my search for truth and beauty, I strive to make my work straight forward and elegant. I am inspired by nature and my need for introspection. By inventing shapes and forms, a fundamental order happens. This magic I find reassuring. The hope is that my artistic creations are beautiful, timeless, and thought provoking.

It is my desire to create art that will bring joy. My hope is to continue my mission of spreading beauty in as many areas as I am able, offering a sense of hope and an experience that celebrates our kinship with others and the world around us.

Artist Biography:

I was born in Yokuska, Japan and grew up in California.  I earned a Bachelor of Art degree in painting from California State University in Fullerton.  After being rewarded my MFA from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1990 I ran the sculpture and metals program at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.  To move closer to my fiancé, I accepted a position at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas to run the sculpture program there after Professor Pebworth retired.  In 1995 I moved to Nacogdoches, Texas and set up a studio to work as a full time artist.  Since then, I have been an active artist creating art for both galleries  and public work sites.