Elizabeth Wallsmith: Connecting Through Art

For Elizabeth Wallsmith, art is more than self-expression. It is communication and connection. She sees it as the most powerful way humans have told their stories, reaching across cultures and surviving generations.  

“My work is an expression of my soul’s journey through life, an extension of who I am,” she says.

Elizabeth lives in Carthage, Missouri, and teaches high school art in Monett, Missouri. Over the course of two decades, she has woven art into her personal and professional life. She teaches ceramics and drawing, sharing traditional art techniques while encouraging students to take risks.  

“I love to balance disciplines of art fundamentals with the playfulness of exploring,” she says. Her students study contemporary artists, experiment with mixed media, and collaborate with the community. Recently, they painted fire hydrants on Main Street in Monett, a project sponsored by the police department.

Elizabeth’s first teaching position was in Carl Junction, where she taught at the junior high school and was known as Ms. Cosby. She made the move to Monett High School in 2018. She describes her teaching style as one that shares skill and making connections.  

“Teaching art is sharing art, a philosophy I hold dear to my heart. I want students to look at the world around them by first noticing everyday objects and to develop their own artistic style.  It’s about placing value in the little moments of what we create.” 

In ceramics, Elizabeth begins with a simple pinch pot, a technique many remember from their childhood. From there, students move into more complex forms. A recent assignment focused on seed pods and asked for research, sketches, color choices and texture studies.  

“For many, it’s the first time they’ve touched clay since elementary school,” she says. She also nudges them to go with the flow. “They’re so used to striving for perfection,” she explains. “Perfection can be overrated. Sometimes the most fun pieces aren’t perfect.”

Her advanced art students work on more independent projects, but they recently had a chance to collaborate on a mural. Each student painted their own section before combining them into one.  

“Artists can be very independent,” she says. “Collaborative pieces encourage them to come together and create something cohesive.”

Elizabeth’s love for art was inspired by her father, Doug Cowie, an artist in Tulsa who studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and worked in advertising and design. He passed away when she was 12, leaving behind his work as her most tangible connection to him.  

“Art is an impression, a fingerprint, a signature,” she says. “It’s the only thing I have left from my father, and that has shaped how I view its importance.”

She displays his art in her classroom, so students can see how art lives beyond the artist. She tells them she is less concerned about whether they become professional artists than about whether they learn to value art in their everyday lives.  

“I want to teach students to appreciate it, even if they didn’t make it. If they learn how to work with a medium or know the history, they’re more likely to stop and take a look.”

She credits her mother, Mary Kaye, and her adoptive father, Bob Baird, along with her son and husband, for their support through the years, as well as mentors who encouraged her at different stages of her career. She also notes her faith as central to her perspective.  

“My faith in God and love for Jesus is my foundation,” she says. “I see art as a way people connect, and as something that touches lives.”

Her commitment to community art can be seen across the region. She has participated in art walks, created public murals and contributed to festivals.

In Joplin, she was involved in the early downtown art walks and has shown work in membership exhibitions at Spiva Center for the Arts.

In Pittsburg, Kansas, her work appears on several murals, including one along Fifth and Broadway. Each section was designed by a different artist to resemble a filmstrip. Her contribution shows a woman blowing music into downtown. She also participated in the Southeast Kansas Art Fest, where she decorated benches, footballs and sculptures that added color to the community.

In Neosho, Missouri, she painted "Nature’s Treasure," a mural spanning two buildings in Scenic Park. The project inspired a coloring book, available through the Neosho Arts Council’s Facebook page, that helps support mural restoration in the community.

In Carthage, she contributed to the Maple Leaf Parade by painting themed fire hydrants.

Beyond these projects, she has also served as a judge for art shows.

Her love for art touches her personal life as well. She and her husband are restoring their historic home in Carthage. From colorful murals on the walls to a painted ceramic sink and backsplash, Elizabeth is bringing color and playfulness into her spaces. One year she took part in the Carthage Christmas Homes Tour, where her ribbon-draped chandeliers and blinged-out trees impressed visitors.

Elizabeth continues to explore new directions. She is considering a large-scale mural, as well as planning a coloring book, new public artworks and projects with her grandchildren.

As both an artist and a teacher, Elizabeth Wallsmith encourages others to see the beauty in everyday life and to keep creating.

Find Elizabeth at:
Web: https://lizc4art.wixsite.com/elizabethtwallsmith  
TikTok: @elizabeththeresa
Facebook: E.T. Creations Art
Instagram: lizc4art

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