Devereaux, Elizabeth

530-342-2074

Chico, California

My Artistic Journey: I was the youngest of five children, with a window designer Mother (department stores) and a business manager Father. I am grateful that my parents and my siblings always supported my artistic leanings. As I became immersed in my education, my study of art at Dominican University, and particularly my years in Munich and Vienna were very formative, both in art and architecture. I was inspired by the colors of Persian miniatures, the delicate transparency of Paul Klee’s watercolors, Camille Corot’s focus on light, the vibrant colors and symbolism of Emil Nolde, Odilon Redon and Marc Chagall, and Georgia O’Keefe’s light and sense of the land, its forms and curves. German contemporary glass artists as well as Chartres Cathedral, and Sainte Chapelle were part of my artistic development. Ancient gold Egyptian jewelry and the gold leaf paintings by Gustav Klimt were rich and mysterious for me. I traced my interest in gold and pattern back to the gold leaf wall patterns of Sainte Chapelle, and in Industrial Design, designs for logos eventually translated into gold luster “logos of place and meaning” in my art glass. Industrial Design also gave me a comfort with tools, equipment, and processes, as well as an understanding of architectural plans. Ancient buildings like the Pantheon in Rome, and the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul struck me with their scale and grandeur, and Jugendstil Viennese Architects, Le Corbusier, and later, Calatrava, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid have all left their imprint on me. And there are more mentors and teachers who were generous in sharing their time and talent. With a Catholic upbringing, my monastic side eventually drew me to a Vatican II Catholic church community in the Bay Area. For 20 years, my spiritual life and education deepened and gave me understanding of both symbol and scripture. Then, being a member of the General Plan Task Force in Chico expanded my sense of architecture, planning and place. All of this, plus my deep love of the natural world has contributed to what glass master, Ludwig Schaffrath called “my signature”.