About the Artist

Liz Bartlett Culp:  Petroleum Geologist Turned Oil Painter

Like the more famous Jamie Wyeth and Raphael Peale, Liz Bartlett Culp comes from a family of artists. “It was the one thing we were encouraged to do when we were growing up. Grandma would keep us entertained for hours by suggesting things for us to draw. ‘Draw an elephant! Draw a tractor!’ Mom and Dad were always making things:  Mom, original needlepoint designs and Dad elaborate bird carvings.” One of her sisters is a mural painter and another is an interior designer.

Liz took art classes starting at age 12 and continued off and on through high school and while raising two children. Painting was a spare time pursuit during her 30-year career as a Petroleum Geologist. Since retiring in 2020, Liz has been painting full time. Geology combines multiple sciences and requires creativity, so the transition was an easy one.

Liz has worked in watercolor, pastels and acrylics, with her current focus on oils. She loves to paint flowers and land- and skyscapes, especially of the Big Bend area and the Davis Mountains of Texas. She has taken classes and workshops from well-known artists such as David Leffel, Scott Christensen and Douglas Fryer, and she has won awards in juried shows for her work in all mediums.

The artist makes her home in Midland and Fort Davis, Texas.

Awards:

2021 Best in Show Midland Arts Association Members’ Show and Sale

2022 Best in Show San Angelo Art Club Fiesta in Realism Show

2022 Best in Show San Angelo Art Club West Texas Regional Juried Art Show and Sale

2022 Best in Show Midland Arts Association 45^th Annual Juried Fall Show

Third Place, 2023 Paint the Town Plein Air Competition, Marble Falls, TX

First Place, Oils:  2023 San Angelo Art Club Fiesta in Realism

First Place, Midland Arts Association 45^th Annual Juried Spring Show, 2024

First Place, oils, Midland Arts Association Juried Fall Show, 2025

Second Place overall, The Open Show, Arts Council of Midland 2025

The Lester and Virginia Clark Award, Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, Breckenridge, TX 2025

Recent Honors:

Trappings of Texas, Museum of the Big Bend, Alpine Texas, Exhibitor 2026

Cowboy True Invitational, Arts Council of Wichita Falls, 2026