4 minute read
Elizabeth
“ I love New York. It has so much to offer. I get love, giggles and laughs from everybody. The people make New York. I just love everybody.”
“My father wanted me to be something like a teacher or nurse. He sent me to teachers college. I didn’t go to one class. I had my sketch book and I went down to the river and I sketched. My dad found out, and in the meantime I had sent my portfolio to Mount Allison University, and I was accepted. Alex Colville, one of the most respected Canadian artists, called my dad and said ‘Where is your daughter? She should be here.’ He admired Alex because he was a war artist, and my dad had been to the war. So my dad let me go.”
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“I hitchhiked in to New York in 1964 after finishing school. I didn’t know anybody, but I wanted to be an artist. My teacher recommended the Art Students League of New York so I just hitchhiked and I never came back. I knew about The Village, so that’s where I went.”
“You can’t be frightened if you live in New York. You can’t be afraid of people, of the experience. You just need to do it, and do it yourself. It’s important if you want to survive here. I’ve always just followed my instincts and done what I thought needed to be done.”
“I tried to get an apartment, but they said I needed a job. After trying several places with no luck I went to an employment agency, and the woman there asked me ‘What can you do?’ I said ‘Nothing really,’ but I had my sketch book and I showed it to her. She sent me to an interview that day. It was for a print and fabric designer at a garment center, and I got the job.”
“Because green was so positive I started wearing it more, and it just evolved. I would mix nail polish green, I’d make accessories, put one streak of green in my hair and paint my shoes. The kids across the street loved it, every day they would come up to me so happy to talk to me. So from there it just evolved, and now I am The Green Lady.”
“It’s a whole art form and ritual to be The Green Lady. I get up and brush green into my hair. I have my own hair style and it takes time to do, especially now that I’m older and I don’t have as much hair as I used to. I put on my green makeup and clothes and then I’m ready.”
“We had a gang living in the building at that time. To get down the block you had to know them. They dressed like a motorcycle gang - the hippie, psychedelic version. These were quite some characters. They used to babysit my son. I have never had a bad experience with people in this city. I never looked for the negative. I always see the good in people and I’ve never had any barrier talking to different people. I am also not a very threatening person. Nobody is scared of me.”
“New York can be a frightening place to be alone in. So I think a smile is important to everyone.”
Q&A
Q: What neighborhood do you live in?
A: Carroll Gardens.
Q: Best thing about living there?
A: Developing my backyard into an amazing garden. It’s taken a long time.
Q: Favorite neighborhood?
A: Carroll Gardens.
Q: Favorite street to stroll?
A: I walk up Court Street and down Smith Street in Carroll Gardens.
Q: Why?
A: I love the people there, plus there are all kinds of great little shops and restaurants on those streets.
Q: Favorite restaurant?
A: Thai Boran on 462 Court St.
Q: Favorite bar?
A: I don’t go to bars, but I love what they’re doing at Nerdbecool on Court Street. It’s owned by a cool young couple.
Q: Hidden gem?
A: Yesterday’s News in Carroll Gardens. It’s an antique shop and they have a lot of great stuff.
Q: How to be(come) a New Yorker?
A: When I came to New York in ‘64 I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing so I just went out and created the life I wanted. You have the freedom to do whatever you want to do here, but you have to go get it.
Q: Your New York soundtrack?
A: I do a lot of my morning exercises to Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
Visit Elizabeth at home in a 3 minute video: quotedmagazine.com/elizabeth
