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Reed’s first passion is her family and a close second is the subject of racial inequality; another major concern is living a well-balanced life full of color, pattern, form, shape and texture. Her major challenge has been transferring left-brain business skills to the right-brain arts environment.

Before retirement, Reed was a member of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and served as President of the National Association of Women Business Owners - Birmingham Chapter (NAWBO), of which she is a Charter Member. In addition, her community involvement includes membership in the Community Affairs Committee of Operation New Birmingham where she has served as membership chair and the Board of Birmingham Art Association as President from 2003-2005. Reed is a founding member of The Women’s Network and The Breakfast Club and active in the Five Points South Neighborhood Association.

Reed is married to author and humorist, Jim Reed, owner of Reed Books in Birmingham; they have three children, one honorary daughter and eight grandchildren. She and her husband have lived in Southside for twenty-seven years.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT - “It Was A Very Good Year”

  There is an adage for writers -- write what you know.  In my senior painting class, the instructor suggested as painters, that we do the same thing.  "Paint what you know," he said.  One thing I know is dresses:  I've worn them all my life, designed and sewn them since the early 50's.  I really understand the book title, "Where I Was and What I Wore."  
  In a de-acquisition mode one day, I decided to paint favorite, old dresses that take up closet space as a way of crystalizing memories of the times and places I wore each one, with hope that after transferring the dresses to canvas, I could part with them.  My closet is too full -- I've still got dresses I wore in the 1960's!  I had visions of loading up the car and heading to the vintage consignment shop.  Visions of more closet space.  Visions of moving on with a clean slate.
  In the series "It Was A Very Good Year," each of these dresses represents a particular occasion: a Mardi Gras dance in Mobile, a wedding in Florida, a governor's inaugural ball in Montgomery, Christmas in Birmingham, and so on.  There are some that have served the next generation, accompanying my daughters to proms and parties.  Some were bought in a store; others were made by hand.  They represent a variety of styles popular in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. The memories are a variety of styles as well -- some happy, some poignant, some disappointing, some sad.
  Painting these dresses has not produced the hoped-for results.  After reexamining the lines, fabrics, folds and trims, and the memories they invoke, I am even more reluctant to give them away.   My hope for more closet space is that my granddaughters will appreciate the vintage look and appropriate one or all for future proms and parties.   My other hope is that people who look at these paintings will understand, that they will recall where they were and what they word and the memories associated with a closet full of clothes, too old (or too small) to wear and too precious to give away.

July 2005
LIZ REED

Liz Reed:  Artist’s Statement and Explanation of After Albers Series

”Searching” is the word that comes to mind when contemplating the genesis and meaning of the After Albers series. Searching for language that better communicates my feelings than spoken and written words. Searching for a way to abandon thought in favor of action. What shape is a feeling? What color is a feeling? What collections of colors and shapes constitute language? These are the questions searching for answers in the body of work currently underway.

The work of Josef Albers (1888 – 1976) intrigues me. Since initially studying Albers in art history, I have been fascinated with his juxtaposition of colors and the effect each has on the other. The current series of oil pastel drawings is titled “After Albers,” in appreciation for his contribution to the use and understanding of color.

My first approach to this series was, as with most initial endeavors, an intellectual one. The outcome produced a few sketches, which, in the end, comprised a storyboard. The next approach focused on technique, attempts to use nascent skills only recently developed in class. Frustrated with the whole mess, I put on an Ahmad Jamal CD, made a fresh pot of coffee, opened a new box of oil pastels, and started making marks on paper. Little by little, some of the tension began to melt away and a little joy began seeping into my bloodstream. The search was on to find ways of combining colors, shapes, symbols, and lines which began to develop into a way to connect with myself, without words -- brain cells at rest.

In creating my work, I begin with one initial block of color, force myself to place the initial block in a different position on each empty canvas, and go from there. Each color leads to the next, each shape suggests its new neighbor. Markings within the shapes are distilled from memories -- some good, others not so good – or from my storehouse of dreams awaiting fruition. Life, for me, has been about juxtaposition and choices and decisions made, always with the best intentions, sometimes with disappointing results.

Piecing together shapes, colors, and symbols is a way of revisiting some of my choices, facing the reality of my decisions, accepting the results, and starting over. Piecing together shapes, colors, and symbols is a way of making new choices, creating a new reality, exploring new options, and continuing my journey in art making.

Liz Reed
1410 17th Street South
Birmingham AL 35205-6210
205 933-5543 (h)
205 706-3230 (c)