WVCSD Artist of the Week: Elizabeth Thomas

Warwick Valley High School senior Elizabeth "Eliza" Thomas has been creating art for as long as she can remember... literally. One of her earliest memories is of blithely drawing on the walls of her home, blithely unaware that crayons were intended for paper!

“I used to draw on the walls. I’d get in trouble for it, but then I'd just go and do it again. I guess I just love a good blank canvas,” Eliza laughed.

Behind framed pictures in her house, you can still find tiny traces of those first creative impulses. And that instinct to make, decorate, design, and transform has followed Eliza from childhood through middle school, into high school, and now to the brink of an exciting new chapter -- heading to college for marketing and advertising. Along the way, Eliza has become an artist whose creativity shows up in all kinds of media -- on paper, formed from clay, as nail art, and even sewn with fabric. She’s an artist who understands the power of art not only as a skill, but as a source of calm, emotional grounding, and connection.

Eliza grew up in Greenwood Lake and credits her longtime middle school art teacher, Mr. Ferry, with helping nurture her interest in drawing and painting. When she moved to Warwick, she enrolled in the high school's Foundations in Art class, which was taught at the time by Ms. McLaughlin. The class became a pivotal experience.

“Foundations was such a big jump from middle school,” she said. “It felt so much more sophisticated, and it really motivated me to keep taking art.”

Which she has!

During her sophomore year, Eliza simultaneously took Studio Art and Ceramics 1 and 2, the courses that introduced her to ceramic work—and to Ms. Sisco, who would become an influential mentor. It didn't take long for ceramics to become one of Eliza’s favorite creative outlets. She found herself filling her free time in the art room, sometimes during study hall, sometimes during lunch. Many of her pieces were created for and donated to the Empty Bowls club and its mission to fight food insecurity. Eliza feels her craftsmanship and attention to detail found a meaningful purpose there, and she continues to contribute pieces when she can. Eliza admits that she sometimes creates a piece that she loves and decides to keep or gift to family. Many of those pieces -- mugs, bowls, jewelry dishes, vases, candle holders -- have found a place in her family home.

“When I was gathering things to bring in [for this interview], I realized how much I actually use the things I’ve made,” she said. “And my mom has plants in the vases I’ve made. Seeing my work being used—it just makes me want to keep creating.”

For her senior year, Eliza created her own Independent Study curriculum. She proposed a program that would allow her to explore individual projects and varied media, including character design, functional ceramics, and even the creation of a full dinnerware set. Her proposal had to be completely developed and written out for review. She worked with Ms. Sisco on her plan before sending it to high school administration and guidance officials for approval... which it received!

For Eliza, art is not only a passion, it’s a source of emotional balance. She discovered this during a difficult period in her freshman year, when she felt a little overwhelmed by stress, adding how that affected her and led to an unhealthy sleep cycle after school. What began as an expressive hobby became an important form of self-care for Eliza.

“So one day when I got home I just started painting instead,” she said. “It gave me that same relaxing feeling I used to get from sleeping, except I wasn’t escaping, I was being productive. I really liked that feeling.”

She painted and drew to decorate her room, made gifts for her mom, and explored new mediums whenever she felt inspired. Eliza has also delved into nail art, creating intricate sets as gifts for friends. She taught herself sewing, tackling small clothing projects and exploring the satisfaction of detail-oriented craftsmanship. With each new medium she has picked up, it's become more and more clear that Eliza enjoys processes that require careful steps, close attention, and room for personal style. These are all qualities that would eventually guide her toward the academic path that she has mapped out for after graduation.

Despite her deep love of art, Eliza has always been hesitant to pursue it as her full-time profession.

“I would hate for art to be something that I have to make my income from,” she explained. “I depend on it emotionally. I don’t want to depend on it financially.”

Still, she knows she wants a career that will allow her to apply her creativity in some way. The answer came during a tour of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), which included workshops in both fine arts and marketing/advertising. She fell in love with the environment, its energy, its global opportunities, and the blend of creativity and strategy she saw in the field.

"I feel like advertising to people is such a cool concept, making their wants into needs," she explained.

While Eliza is waiting to hear about her application to FIT, she already has an acceptance letter and merit-based Hawk Scholarship in hand from SUNY New Paltz, to study in that school's marketing program.

"Honestly, I didn't think I was going to get in there, because I knew that they looked at SAT scores," Eliza said. "And I didn't do so hot on my SAT. That had me really nervous, but then I got their acceptance... and the scholarship!"  

Wherever she attends college in the fall, she hopes they offer a ceramics course, so she can keep her hands in the clay that has become such an important part of her artistic identity. Eliza, who has learned the value of art and creativity as meditation and for rejuvenation, encourages younger students not to let school stress or busy schedules push making art aside.

“It’s easy to give up on it,” she said. “But I think it’s important to keep pursuing it. Art is so important for what it makes people feel, and how it helps us express ourselves.”

As she finishes her senior year -- designing her dinnerware set, exploring interior design through BOCES, and continuing her independent study -- Eliza remains grounded in the passion that began on the walls of her childhood home.