Liz Dexter

Liz Dexter – artist bio

After nearly thirty years of professional practice, including twenty years of running her architecture firm, Reveal Architecture + Interiors, Portland, Oregon architect Liz Dexter found herself increasingly drawn to the magic of mixed media artwork. Liz pared back her practice in 2019, moving her office into her home to free up more time to pursue making art and some long-anticipated travel with her husband. The more they traveled, the more Liz was itching to get back home and create. March 2020 brought an end to travel for a while, but allowed Liz the opportunity to deep dive into her art.

Understanding materials and methods has always been central to Liz’s architectural and interior design practice - delving into (and nerding out on) an array of media similarly lights her up in her studio. She develops her paintings using many layers of acrylic, collage, plaster, image transfers and glazes – sanding, scraping and cutting into them along the way to see what is uncovered. She imbues her paintings with texture and memory, often incorporating mementos of loved ones into her work. Untethered from codes, budgets and client demands, the freedom of mixed-media artmaking helps Liz to explore what’s most important to her: finding beauty and joy in the imperfect, unfolding layers of our lives, and discovering awe and wonder in our midst.