36 Toombs County Magazine
When Elizabeth started her third semester as an art major, her parents,
Doug and Rhonda Harrison, did not attempt to dissuade their daughter. She knew
they hoped her career choice would be something that would provide a bit more
financial security, and they weren’t alone. Elizabeth was sensible. She didn’t want
a degree in something that would not provide enough income to even cover the
cost of college. But going to school and living in Athens, Georgia, had opened her
eyes to many more career choices for Art majors. “I realized an art degree doesn’t
necessarily put you in a box with only a few options,” said Elizabeth.
She had worked at The Davis House Photography Studio in Vidalia while in
high school and assumed she would do well in graphic design or photography. But
it took only one drawing composition class to remove any doubt that her gift was
in drawing and painting. “Some of my art professors were semi-famous. They were
really awesome. I feel really lucky in having them.”
Elizabeth’s parents were quick to
recognize their daughter’s artistic talent.
More importantly, they saw her joy in
following her passion. “Now, nobody
thinks I should have been a doctor,” said
Elizabeth, smiling.
When it came time for the BFA art
students to prepare for their “Exit
Show,” Elizabeth got a call. “The guy
over it contacted me and said, ‘You really
need to be in the show.’ You're only
supposed to be in the Exit Show if you
are a BFA graduate, and my major was in
AB Studio Art.”
As a part of the Exit Show, Elizabeth
spent her last semester painting in a
studio in downtown Athens. “We were
all in one building, but we had little
individual studios to work in. I enjoyed
the studio and spent hours and hours
getting lost in the pieces.”
Most of the pieces she painted
were from old 4 x 6 black and white
photographs of her mother’s family. The
photographs come from a time she could
only imagine. But that’s exactly what
art is about: the ability to imagine the
unseen, which is the very definition of
hope.
“One of my first oil paintings,”
said Elizabeth, “was of my papa and
my daddy holding puppies when my
daddy was a little boy. I realized while
doing it how much I loved ‘spending
time’ with my papa, who had passed,
and my daddy, who was back home. It
was a special time thinking about and
appreciating two people that I loved very
much.” From that point on, Elizabeth
knew she was “hooked.”
“There's just something about old
pictures that makes them special,” said
Elizabeth. “It's so easy to take a picture
now. Just about everybody has an
BELOW Elizabeth and her
husband Casey, a home
health nurse, were living
in Atlanta when he heard
about a job position in
Elizabeth's hometown of
Vidalia. Soon the two
were back here, and
Elizabeth found herself
teaching in the Vidalia
school system.