"Beth Elliott’s career in landscape architecture requires precision. She thinks in terms of geometry. 'My expertise is in hardscaping the garden,' she says, 'designing the space, the walls, the drainage, anything built in and how it relates to the home. My art is where I can pursue my creations with my own hands and without the precision of architecture.'"

"Creative expression for her, Elliott says, is powerful and healing for brain and body. 'The first time I had a garden was the first time I experienced peace,' she says. 'I was truly in the moment and present. I had not had that ability or feeling until tending a garden. It became an obsession—if one can combine peace with obsessive tendencies. The same thing happens to me when I make art. I have peace. The stress falls away and I can only think about or see what is in front of me.' And, she adds, 'My art practice is what I have that is truly mine, not client-based and not precision-based, and that way of working is healing for my mind and hands.'"

Read the full digital article directly on The Laurel of Asheville's website, HERE.