About Arty McGoo, a.k.a. Mrs. Elizabeth Adams

Arty McGoo is the alias for Elizabeth Adams’ creative side. Like a gremlin, she usually comes out in the middle of the night brandishing a paintbrush and a glassy-eyed stare.  Arty is internationally recognized for her ninja skill in cookie artistry.  The name Arty McGoo was originally derived from her blog.  Elizabeth felt that ART is sometimes taken too seriously or seen as pretentious.  Art is fun, it is messy, and it can be made out of practically anything!  She wanted a fun name and since she always finds herself adding McGoo to words (ex: the kid’s shoes = stinky McGoo!) she decided to christen her blog Arty McGoo!  Soon thereafter, friends and fans began referring to her as “Arty” and it was a perfect fit.  Liz became Arty McGoo!

The High Priestess of Hand Painting

— Julia Usher

She grew up on the Central Coast of California; the youngest daughter in a family of 8.   Even in her youth, the young Miss McGoo began to show the signs of a true artist while learning perspective and patience by watching her dad paint at the kitchen table after work.  Her mother’s art came in the form of music and baking wizardry.  Following in mom’s footsteps, Elizabeth decided to teach herself how to play piano and baked cakes for her family every Sunday.

Throughout her childhood, her love of music was strengthened by joining the church and school choirs and participating in many musical productions.  Her artistic talents broadened while in high school and college through courses in Photography, Ceramics, Graphic Art, and Music. 

It was in a Musical Theatre class at Cuesta College where she met the man of her dreams, the incredibly sexy and multi-talented Mr. John.  He was an amazing man, athletically built, with devilish good looks accompanied by dashing wit and charm that could make any woman swoon… but I digress.

Elizabeth and John married in 1998.  In 2001, Arty started a 9 month journey in creating a true masterpiece, her daughter Bailey.  Followed by another magnificent masterpiece in 2003, her daughter Sage, and the final masterpiece in the collection, her son Denver, in 2005.    

Her foray into cookies happened while planning her daughter’s birthday, in search of an inexpensive party favor.  She decided to make cookies, but wanted them to be personal and special.  She pulled out a Wilton booklet that came with a set of piping tips, royal icing recipe, and some instructions.  A cookier was born.   

Thousands of pounds of powdered sugar later, the cookie has become the perfect expression of her art, personality and her desire to give vivid and uniquely individual items.  Arty McGoo currently enjoys empowering the inner cookier in everyone through her live workshops held in Paso Robles, California and “McGoo U” online courses and wherever the cookiers gather… domestically or internationally.  She has taught across the country and in Italy and Spain.  You can usually find her up all hours of the night finishing a project in those quiet, uninterrupted, dark hours of the morning.

In the years since I discovered the multi-talented Arty McGoo, she’s never ceased to amaze me! Whether she’s creating amazing cookie art or putting on a show… I can’t wait to see what she’s got up her sleeve.

— Callye, of The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle

True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.

— Albert Einstein