ELIZA CARTON
Eliza Carton (they/them) is a visual artist based in Cambridge, MA. Having attended an arts based high school, Eliza has been honing their craft as an artist for quite some time. They are currently continuing their education at Lesley University, studying Counseling with a minor in Fine Arts. Eliza works largely in print based media, and occasionally in other mediums such as painting, collage, and photography. Lately, their work is focused on themes of queerness, mental illness, social justice, nature, and more.
Instagram: @elizacartonart
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ARTIST Q&A
Born: Dover, NH
Currently lives: Cambridge, MA
Title of artwork: “Tune In.”
What’s it about? I created this piece, “Tune In.” in the summer of 2022. I was working in a grocery store at the time, and would come home after my shift ended at 10pm just to sit in my bed and listen to records for hours to decompress. Those nights with just me and my music brought me great comfort, and I wanted to capture that here.
Where else can we find your work? I don’t currently have my work published anywhere, but you can always see what I’m up to by following me on Instagram @elizacartonart !
Who is your favorite Boston-area artist to follow? I recently discovered Hope Hayward (she/they) at Boston Hassle Flea a couple months back, and absolutely fell in love with their work. Hope is a printmaker from Waltham, MA, and her work balances “tough” imagery with bright colors in a way that I’m really drawn to. Definitely an artist to keep an eye on!
What’s your favorite way to spend a day off? When I need to catch up on rest, there’s nothing I love more than a chill day at home, preferably with my wonderful partner Sophia. Making breakfast together, making some art or doing some creative writing, watching The Office, you get the picture. Otherwise, you can find me at a concert, out exploring Cambridge/Boston, or enjoying nature somewhere!
What was your top song for 2022? Barbed Wire Body by Movements–my favorite band ever.
Favorite food spot in in Allston, Brighton or the surrounding area? Last semester I completed my internship at the Thomas Edison K8 School in Brighton. The commute from my dorm in Cambridge via public transit was long, to say the least, so every Friday morning I would stop by Cafe Nation to grab myself a garlic bagel with cream cheese and (usually) a London Fog tea. So ridiculously good, and brought me great joy during an otherwise hectic semester.
What have you learned about your creative practice in recent years? I’ve given myself a lot more freedom with my art over the past couple of years, which not only has felt really good to create, but has led to pieces I feel better about aesthetically. It’s definitely a constant, conscious, practice to let go of the perfectionist thinking, but has done me a lot of good both as a human and an artist.
What is a piece of advice you would give to your past self as a young artist? Get out there more! I struggled with social anxiety for a long time, which in turn led to me missing out on a bunch of really cool opportunities to both create and share my art. Oh well, I’m here sharing my art now, and that’s what matters.
What is your dream project to work on? Honestly, I’m working on some pretty cool stuff with Press 304, Lesley’s printmaking student org, right now! We’re currently in the middle of creating a public zine library outside of the Lunder Arts Center, and are organizing an Earth Day event for later this month. Beyond that, though it’s not a huge undertaking, I’d really like to start incorporating more of my poetry in my visual art pieces. I’ve been spending a lot of time writing lately, and think it would be fun to play around with the imagery in said poems.
