Liz Lesperance

Artist Bio

Liz was born and raised in rural Ontario, Canada. Her passion for the countryside and all things equine was installed in early childhood. This lifelong passion—for horses and for the land they inhabit—is evident in her every canvas. Her paintings have a soft, refined quality of realism that emphasizes the interplay of shapes, color and light . Each piece reveals a palpable empathetic connection with the personality and nature of her animals.

Horses were the subject of Liz’s earliest paintings and paved the way for her acceptance into art college. She built a successful early career as a commercial illustrator but longed for the independent life of the fine artist. The burgeoning popularity of wildlife art in the 1980s allowed her to transition from a commercial artist to a full-time fine artist as her representational wildlife paintings gained her widespread recognition across Canada.

Inspired to explore new vistas, Liz moved to the United States where she stayed for the next fifteen years, gaining exposure through juried exhibitions at the American Academy of Equine Art, the California Art Club, the Bennington Center for the Arts, the Society of Animal Artists and in art auctions such as the Renaissance Art Auction and Charleston Art Auction. She studied with some of the top artists in the country, including Ned Jacob, Morgan Weistling, Matt Smith, Mark Daily and Bob Kuhn.

She has lived in some of the west’s most stunning horse country, including her last year in the Santa Ynez Valley, CA – known throughout the equestrian world as having the largest number of horse breeders in one area. Breeders of champion horses and movie directors are just a few of her clients who have commissioned paintings.

In 2010, Liz returned to her Canadian roots. Now settled in one of the most spectacular wilderness regions of British Columbia, Liz finds felicity and inspiration in the changing seasons. From the large windows of her studio she can see her horses grazing in the pasture with expansive views of rugged mountains in the distance. Herds of Elk and Whitetail Deer, Black Bear, and the occasional Bald Eagle are some of the visitors that pass through. It is here that her work continues to grow and unfold, expressing her deep-rooted connection to the world around her.