Elif Burduroglu lives in The Woodlands area, and this self-taught artist paints slightly abstracted portraits of women, landscapes, pets and abstract paintings. She joined the First Saturday Arts Market last May, and Feb. 7 will be her sixth trip to Houston to join other artists for the monthly market at 540 W. 19th St.
“The Connection,” an oil painting by Elif Burduroglu, was selected for the Conroe Art League’s CAL International 2026 juried exhibition, March 3-28, at Madeley Fine Art Gallery in Conroe, Texas. (Submitted photo)
Burduroglu uses primarily oil for her portraits and acrylic and oil for other subjects, sometimes just referred to as mixed media. Even with such a wide variety of subjects and use of paint mediums, Burduroglu’s style is consistent throughout, a commendable trait for painters.
I’m a fan of her style of “abstracted” painting, with visible brush strokes. The portraits have complementary subtle background colors that are textured in appearance with scratches, stains and reminiscent of centuries-old paintings. Her florals, landscapes and even abstract paintings seem to tell a story, yet something may be missing, allowing the viewer’s eye to finish what is missing.
Elif Burduroglu works on an painting in her studio. (Submitted photo)
This interview is long past due since introducing Burduroglu here in the May 3, 2025, Art Valet in The Leader News. Burduroglu arrived in Houston about four years ago after living in Boston, where she took three to four art classes. She’s not the only artist in her family; her mother, sister and nephew are musicians, and though retired now, her mother was quite popular in her day. Burduroglu took to painting at an early age.
What’s your background and personal interests outside of art?
I grew up in Istanbul and studied English Language and Literature in college, and taught English at a high school for 10 years in the city I grew up in. Other than painting, I love to read and take long walks in nature. I love animals very much and try to help shelter animals and strays as much as I can.
Have you always been creative?
Since I was a little child, I sketched, drew and painted. I think I was born with love for art. My mom is a musician and a songwriter, and so are my older sister and nephew. I was always exposed to art but I think there is also a genetic factor to it, too.
Untitled abstract by Elif Burduroglu, featuring layered blue and turquoise textures in oil and mixed media. (Submitted photo)
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on medium scale oil, acrylic, and mixed media abstracts — different scales of modern florals and female portraits. I usually paint loosely. I purposefully leave things to imagination. I love deliberate imperfections and left out spaces, textures and thick brush marks. I believe that imperfections make things more interesting, as in people.
What are your future plans or goals?
My future goals are to learn new things every day and to improve myself artistically and personally, to live a happy life and make a positive change in the lives of those around me. I also aim to be able to earn more from my art practice so I feel more confident and can further help the causes I believe in.
Where can people find your work?
People can find my work on my website www.elifspaintings.com. I exhibit some of my work at Madeley Fine Art Gallery in Conroe and also in the local art markets, like First Saturday Art Market, that I try to participate as often as I can.
Untitled floral by Elif Burduroglu, an acrylic painting of peonies in a vase with bold, textured brushwork. (Submitted photo)
The Madeley Fine Art Gallery Burduroglu mentioned is part of the Conroe Art League. A portrait titled “The Connection” by Burduroglu was selected into the League’s annual juried CAL International 2026, running March 3-28, 2026. Visit their website for details at conroeartleague.com.
For my favorite bonus question I like to ask artists, Burduroglu recalled something that happened recently that caught her and an area constable by surprise. As someone who loves nature and recreating it, it should be no surprise that when Burduroglu saw two dogs heading into the woods after foraging around her grocery store, she began visiting and leaving them food. A constable saw this and sternly admonished her for feeding “those coyotes”, also blamed for vanishing pet cats in the area. A local veterinarian confirmed the animals were likely a hybrid.
Untitled portrait by Elif Burduroglu, an oil painting of a woman in yellow with textured abstract background. (Submitted photo)
Meet Elif at First Saturday Arts Market, February 7, and follow her on Instagram.com @artsy_elif. Find more information on her website at elifspaintings.com.
Cohen is an artist and founder of the First Saturday Arts Market. Visit ArtValet.com for more.