Liz Gomez received her Associate of Arts in San Antonio and spent several years working as a portrait artist in various venues around the United States before moving to Chicago for further education. She completed her BFA in 2014, from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently holds residency in The Hunter Radcliffe Artist Residency program and the Chicago Artist Coalition, Field/Work Residency program.
Liz Gomez is a multidisciplinary artist, activist, and educator currently based in Chicago, IL. Gomez uses her work to celebrate freedom, vulnerability, and the endless depths of the spirit. Her visual practice includes portraiture, mixed media assemblage, and fiber work based in spirituality and meditation. Her portraiture practice focuses on broadening the range of representation within history, to include those who legacies have been minimized or misrepresented. She creates life-size images of individuals from different lifestyles, social classes, ages, and cultures. Her work seeks to deepen our understandings of one another and foster forgiveness, healing, and acceptance amongst all people.
This work continues in her creation of The Divine Gratitude Portrait Movement, a series designed to give thanks and bring visibility to individuals whose stories show the healing powers of holding space for others. Individuals nominated for this project disrupt the cycles of fear and division in their communities and pave the way for a joyous and equitable future. Using film and live painted portraiture, the Divine Gratitude captures each individual’s unique story of trial and success. The honorees are from diverse backgrounds: education, humanitarianism, creativity, social and/or environmental justice, and spirituality. The films and paintings created, share their inspiring stories and increase the visibility of their platform. The second aspect of this series is free educational arts programming to be provided to the chosen community, to foster creative expression and healthy outlets for personal and community growth. By combining art, film, and education Gomez hopes to show the positive impact gratitude and service can have in every community.
