Meet Lizzy Koah of Portraits by Lizzy Koah in Fall River

=Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzy Koah.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lizzy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I can remember, I have always been drawing and painting. Always observing, sketchbook in hand, drawing everything I see. My parents supported my creativity and encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an artist by studying Illustration at UMass Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. It was there where I discovered my chosen medium and subject matter- watercolors and portraiture. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. I went home, printed flyers with the title “I’ll Paint Your Kids” featuring a few of the portraits I had done, and began distributing them. Thus my career as a watercolor portrait artist began.

Meanwhile, I was learning more about the world around me. I became interested in international and social justice issues. I dated- and am now married to- a man who lived through the civil war in Liberia. My senior project at UMass Dartmouth was a series of illustrations about the effects of war on children, specifically the civil war in Sierra Leone. I traveled to Haiti on a service trip with Partners in Development (PID), which led to me spending over three years in Haiti working with the extreme poor as PID’s Haiti Field Director. During my time in Haiti, I was inspired by the stories of those around me. So I painted them. Each portrait represents a story of strength, resilience, survival, and hope. Each of these paintings I have sold to benefit PID’s work. So my love for painting merged with my passion for social justice.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course being a freelance artist is not easy. I work full time on the side. I pour my heart and soul into every painting and love every minute of it. The hardest part for me is the business aspect, self-promotion, and social media. Getting the word out to those who are not in my circle is always a struggle. But I am still on this road. The word spreads as friends of friends give their friends portraits as gifts, and the receivers of these portraits in turn contact me to do portraits for their friends. As long as I keep painting, I am happy, and I look forward to seeing what is in store for me further down the road.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Portraits by Lizzy Koah – what should we know?
Portraits by Lizzy Koah specializes in capturing not only the likeness, but the essence of each of my subjects in watercolors. I paint realistic watercolor portraits based on photos given to me by my clients for all occasions, from old family heirloom photos to wedding gifts to baby pictures.

What sets Portraits by Lizzy Koah apart from the others is that I make high quality original art accessible to regular people. It is important to me that I keep my prices low. I would rather continue painting for less than price anyone out of an opportunity to memorialize their or their loved one’s photo in an original painting.

It makes me proud knowing that people entrust me with their family’s memories and rely on me to transcribe them in watercolors so that they can proudly share and relive them with their families and friends. I am also honored to know that there are homes across the globe with the portraits I have painted hanging in living rooms and other cherished places. My work has brought joy to the hands that give and receive.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I measure success not in the amount of money I can make but in the impact I can have, the joy I can bring through my art. My philosophy is that art should not be something that is for only the most privileged, but something that must be available to all. Despite the many hours I put into each painting, I insist that I keep my prices affordable so I can continue to be successful in spreading joy through art.

Pricing:

• 4”x6” Watercolor painting of your photograph, matted… $75
• 5”x7” Watercolor painting of your photograph, matted… $100
• 8”x10” Watercolor painting of your photograph, matted… $125
• 11”x14” Watercolor painting of your photograph, matted… $150

Contact Info:

• Website: https://portraitsbylizzykoah.com/
• Email: portraitsbylizzykoah@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraitsbylizzykoah/

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