Biography

Elizabeth Keel's journey is a vibrant tapestry woven with passion, resilience, and a profound dedication to the arts. Growing up across Florida with her family, she eventually made her home around the Tampa Bay area, in Florida, before relocating to Chicago. From an early age, Elizabeth's love for singing, drawing, and writing shone through her enthusiasm and joy, setting the stage for a life rich in creativity. 

The sudden loss of her father, Cameron Surface, on August 25, 2005, in his bed one night, deeply affected Elizabeth and her family, especially the three women who were there to witness it. This tragedy sparked in her an obsession with preserving family memories through photography and she began documenting tens of thousands of photographs in the following years of her family’s life. Almost exactly thirteen years later, on August 20, 2018, Elizabeth faced another devastating blow with the untimely passing of her mother, Naomi Surface. These profound and traumatic losses, as well as the generational trauma they revealed, are poignantly explored in her series, "Epitaph," honoring her family’s experiences, which reference life lived with love and tragedy. Death, as a theme, is a revolving door in her work, as it has impacted her since her earliest memories.

Elizabeth's academic path took her to St. Petersburg College, where she studied early education, history, and photography, debuting her first series, "From the Deep," in 2010. She balanced her artistic pursuits with work as a freelance wedding and portrait photographer, a private nanny, and a substitute teacher in Pasco County. A diagnosis of Bipolar disorder led her to return to college, where she became a passionate advocate for mental health treatment and a staunch supporter of survivors of domestic violence.

After earning her Associate's degree at St. Petersburg College, Elizabeth transferred to the University of South Florida. There, she was awarded the Research in the Arts Scholarship for her research on poverty and the transformative power of the arts for social justice while studying and making art abroad in Paris and London. During her internship at The Arts in Health Clinic, she taught painting and drawing to patients with Aphasia, further solidifying her belief in the arts as a powerful tool for healing and social change.

Elizabeth's commitment to art activism was evident in her work at Project Return, a residential drop in center for the mentally ill, where she advocated for the expansion of the curriculum offered, including painting, creative writing with an emphasis on poetry, and current events. Her efforts highlighted the intersection of creativity, enrichment, healing, and joy, demonstrating how art can be a catalyst for change and a voice for the marginalized.

Relocating to Chicago during the pandemic, Elizabeth initially pursued a Master’s in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. However, the unprecedented challenges of social isolation and the high cost of attendance with distance learning led her to shift her focus, deciding instead to forge connections with the public and fully dedicate herself to her art while working. As a server in a trendy breakfast restaurant in the heart of downtown, she has had the opportunity to network and hear the stories of countless individuals and families over the years, which has broadened her perspective and fostered a sense of global community. After three years of joyful connections and healing in the eyes of the guests, she has decided to pursue art full-time.

She shares her life with her husband and her late mother's cherished pets, Bridgette, an adorable Pomchi, and Feo, a beautiful Cockatiel. Elizabeth's days are filled with the joyful melodies of music and the laughter she loves to bring to others. A lifelong learner and lover of children, she revels in their boundless energy and playfulness, always ready to infuse a moment with excitement. An infectious agent of positivity, Elizabeth is full of joy despite the difficulties she has faced, and is mindful of the gifts and privileges that she has had, and the many people who have helped her to arrive where she is today. With an honesty of spirit that transcends barriers and meets people as equals, Elizabeth is someone who will radiate goodness and truth in a world that could use more of it.

Elizabeth honors the memories of her parents, Cameron and Naomi Surface, and her beloved pets, Melfina, Momo, and Viking. She invites visitors to her website to take a moment of silence for their own lost loved ones and the pets who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, creating a space of shared remembrance and love.