One day in particular from an advanced drawing class taken later on has stuck with Abelson. "After working on the same pencil drawing for three months, the professor asked us politely to erase the entire drawing," she says. "There were people who were crying. Others refused to do it. I did what the professor wanted.
"The lesson I learned is that if you do something once, you can do it again, and you may do it better," Abelson continues. "It's a lesson I carry with me to this day. A lot of artists get attached to their work, and can't part with it. Once I'm finished, I can let go, and wherever it ends ups, I'm happy with it."
A career in art is not unfamiliar terrain for Abelson. Her mother, Dassie Abelson, is a painter. "I have strong recollections of being at art festivals as a child," she says. "Music, art, and literature were always huge parts of our life.
"Growing up in a house filled with all kinds of art, it seemed perfectly natural to want to create my own. According to my parents, I had a natural inclination to build, create, and render things. As a child, I vividly remember making dolls, masks, 3-D objects, drawing, and painting. It was my favorite thing to do."
Today Abelson, 38, satisfies her diverse artistic interests by painting and making glasswork, including elegant jewelry and playful decorative objects. "I've always lived in both of those worlds," she says. "I like to let them feed off each other. Sometimes you need to back off a project for a while and approach it with fresh eyes."
Abelson, who grew up in Norwell, moved to Plymouth in 2005, taking her home-based gallery and studio, Dasken Designs, with her. She closed the gallery at the end of 2008 in order to focus more on her own work. Like many artists, she works at other jobs to help pay the bills. Her job at Boston University leaves her with fewer hours than she might like for her artwork. "I've gotten really good at time management," she says. "When you're at school spending all your time in the studio, you spend a lot of time talking to other artists, and looking at their work. Now I have to be really efficient with my time. I have this time frame and I just have to get to work. I'm getting better at moving into that creative zone and letting go."
For a schedule of Abelson's appearances at craft fairs, visit www.lizaabelson.com.
Bill O'Neill is a freelance writer from Centerville, MA.