About the Artist
The beauty of the natural world, the wild landscapes and quiet moments of everyday life guide my work. I am fascinated by the connection between the landscapes of the earth and the human soul, by the way one reflects and transforms the other. There is a rounded grace in the world’s constant becoming—morning into day, day into night, tides which move in and out again and again. Through my paintings, I seek to witness and record these ever-shifting moments with gratitude.
Elizabeth Katherine Ralph-Smith (b. 2001) is a painter and etcher from Auckland, New Zealand, trained at The Florence Academy of Art in Italy.
She currently lives and works in Florence, where she teaches drawing and painting at The Florence Academy of Art and paints independently in her studio. Her art is featured in private collections across Europe, the United States, and New Zealand.
Education and Employment
~Principal Instructor in the Foundation in Graphic Arts Program at The Florence Academy of Art, Italy, 2024-present
~Principal Instructor in the Advanced Painting Program at The Florence Academy of Art, Italy, 2023-present
~Portrait and Figure Painting Workshop Instructor at The Florence Academy of Art 2024-2025
~Graduate in Residence at The Florence Academy of Art, Italy 2023
~Flower and Figure Painting Workshop Instructor at The Florence Academy of Art, Italy 2023
~ Florence Academy of Art Directed by Daniel Graves, Drawing and Painting Program, Florence Italy 2019-2022
Achievements
~Second Prize winner of the Life-Size Category in the Paper/Mirror/Paper Exhibition at The Florence Academy of Art, 2025
~Portrait Society of America - Awarded 1st prize in the 2024 Future Generation Competition for “Miriam in White”.
~Fourth Year Prize Scholarship at the Florence Academy of Art, Italy, 2023
~Third Place winner of the 22nd Art Renewal Centre scholarship competition, 2022
~ Honourable Mention for still life Painting at the Florence Academy of Art, 2022
-Third Place winner of the 22nd ARC Scholarship Competition, 2022
-The Florence Academy of Art Student Work-Study Scholarship 2020-2022
~NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority) Top Art tour 2018
Selected Exhibitions
~Summer Faculty Show at The Florence Academy of Art, Italy 2023, 2024, 2025
~PaperMirror/Paper Juried Exhibition at The Florence Academy of Art 2025
~Richeson75 Online Juried Figure and Portrait Exhibition 2025