Elizabeth Downer Riker

STATEMENT

My paintings are a celebration of people and places that capture my imagination because of their unique composition, play of light, and color juxtapositions. I seek out images that transcend everyday experience, striving to elevate the ordinary to something poetic.  

I’m drawn to the beauty of nature and specifically the subject of people working the land. For many years I lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I painted farmers in a small Zapotec village. It was a transformative experience for me as an artist. Over time I became close to many of the families and was invited to accompany them to the fields. It was a special privilege, and it allowed me to paint en plein air where I could capture the light and subtlety of color. 

Returning to New York City in 2011, I began a series of paintings of the city’s rooftop farms and community gardens. Though a world apart from southern Mexico, these spaces have a beauty and power of their own. They bring people together in a special connection with nature, creating new possibilities for the greening of the city, and providing a ray of hope for the future. 

For 500 years the modern system, that has shaped the world we live in, has looked at nature as something to be exploited regardless of the consequences. As we endure a climate crisis of our own making fueled by constant war, we need to re-think our relationship to the environment and to each other. I believe that art has the power to heal both through making art and observing it. In my paintings I hope to express the timelessness of people’s connection to the earth, something that for many has been lost, and the necessity of finding harmony in this relationship once more.

Elizabeth Downer Riker 

elizabethdownerriker.com