“I just want to portray the beauty of this world, and women are the beauty of the world, they are fruitful and bear more splendor into it.” (Barren E.)

​

Elizabeth Barren (b.1970) is a Chicago native, though as a child she spent a substantial amount of time visiting relatives in the Southern states. A former student of IIT Institute of Design, Barren uses fashion as a pretext for flamboyant textures and collaged painting techniques, creating empathetic figures with an other-wordly style that alludes to the American longing for a glamorous life. Part portrait and part study, these images retain a fresh immediacy, while being meticulously produced. A savoir-faire and fashionable woman herself, Barren’s work corresponds closely to her personal aesthetic. Though her part-time job often leaves little time for the studio, she often works independently at home. Barren lives in Austin, Chicago and joined Project Onward in 2013.