I overcame dyslexia to become an artist

ARTIST Elize de Beer stands out from the crowd. She is easy to spot, with her colourful clothes and pretty jewellery. Meeting her, you can well imagine that this accomplished lady moves in the world of the arts.

She may well be 8,300 miles from home, but she is quite at home in Cork, living in Crosshaven.

“Coming to Cork with my partner three years ago was a new adventure,” says Elize, 30, from Johannesburg, South Africa. “I hit the ground running!”

“Working in the arts, I knew that Cork was a nourishing place for artists, where there is a lot of support and where the councils support and champion the arts.”

Elize is based at Sample Studios, Cork, and her partner is also creative.

“Yes, he is a chef and creates lovely, tasty dishes for us both!”

Elize, who is dyslexic, is currently hosting her first solo exhibition, The Books We Haven’t Read, at Cork County Council’s Library Head Quarters (LHQ) Gallery, until February 16.

“I am really excited to present my first solo event in Cork,” says Elize.

“It took a lot of work behind the scenes, a lot of thinking, and a lot of research.

“It was time-consuming but eventually it all came together.”

What is the theme of the exhibition?

“The exhibition, which includes a series of screen prints, a large-scale paper tapestry and artists’ books, presents the idea that there is more power to the books we have not read yet than the ones we have.

“Books are powerful tools for information and education. Everyone has access to books.

“We are living in difficult, uncertain times, and the priority for each of us must be to encourage exchange of knowledge, experience, perspective, hopes and actions. And to compare these with each other.”

Elize, a mixed-media artist, has a special interest in paper.

“A key work in the exhibition is a large-scale paper tapestry made from prints of discarded book covers, as well as a sculpture consisting of handmade book covers,” she says.

“The exhibition is created from my own personal library, while hinting at the vital importance of the public library space providing access to books.”

However, books were not always Elize’s friends.

“I was very young when I was diagnosed with dyslexia,” says Elize. “I was seven or eight and in primary school.

“Both my mother and my brother are dyslexic. I was fortunate my mother, who is a teacher, had a great understanding of it. My parents were wonderful advocates.

“When I was diagnosed, I was advised not to go to mainstream school,” says Elize. “But my mother said; you can do this.”

And she did.

What was mainstream school like for someone with dyslexia?

“It had its ups and downs,” admits Elize, who is a graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Arts Cape Town (BA Fine Arts, BA Hons Curatorship Specialisation).

“Some of the teachers were not empathetic due to a lack of understanding, and due to lack of support in the education system.

“I learned how to manage my dyslexia and how to figure it out. I made the best of it and learned how to navigate the hurdles.

“Exam time was always cause for frustration.”

How would Elize describe having dyslexia?

“It’s where a person can’t decode written language,” she explains. “The words exist as pictures.

“Outside, of school I did a teaching programme to manage to read in a tactile way, modelling letters with play.”

Did she ever have to read aloud in the classroom?

“I was unprepared to read aloud in the classroom, but I did it in break time.”

Did Elize always want to be an artist? And where did her obvious talent come from?

“My grandmother was an artist,” says Elize. “She painted landscapes. My creativity was nurtured by my parents, and I took art as a subject in school.”

Was it her first choice for college?

“I applied for Law, Architecture, and Fine Arts,” says Elize. “I got offered all of them!”

She was offered good advice too.

“My dad is an accountant, a very sensible, logical man,” says Elize, laughing.

So he is one of those people of his generation that advises his children to get a dependable pensionable job?

“He did the opposite!” replies Elize.

“He said, go study art. That’s what makes you happy, he said.”

And it did.

“I loved university and attending lectures,” says Elize, an artist and designer, and whose first love is printmaking. She is a member of Cork Printmakers.

What is the art of printmaking?

“Printmaking is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface,” explains Elize.

“The surface is most often paper or fabric. Traditional printmaking techniques include woodcut, etching, engraving, and lithography, while modern artists have expanded available techniques include screenprinting.

“In the exhibition, I have made ‘screenprints’ and ‘collagraphy’ print paper tapestry.”

Elize is passionate about her work, and she is passionate about living and working in Cork.

“I am always overwhelmed by the support I get here,” she says.

“The art community always want the best for each other. When someone gets something, there is cause for celebration.”

What about being overwhelmed by the cold and wet climate here?

“Ah yes, the climate is different, and I do miss the warmth!” admits Elize.

However, she embraces the warmth of Cork people and basks in the warmth radiating from her fellow sea-swimmers.

“I am an avid sea-swimmer and I go swimming with a group every Saturday,” says Elize.

“Recently, we did a swim for Women’s Aid.”

Elize, a talented artist, likes being accessible to all.

“I’m hosting a zine-making workshop on February 13 from noon to 2pm, where attendees will learn how to make their own zine from idea to distribution. The workshop is open to all ages.”

To book a place on it, email arts@corkco.ie

“Accessibility to arts, education and information is vital,” says Elize.

Elize, who loves working with paper, is a woman of note. Nothing holds her back. Like her name, de Beer, conjures up, she is a little diamond!