Elizabeth Charles studied ceramics at the Canberra School of Art from 1979 to 1981. Since 1983 she has taught in NSW TAFE colleges and has been in her current position as Senior Head Teacher, Arts and Media, Goulburn College of TAFE since 1990.

Her professional exhibiting career began in 1983. She has held 8 solo exhibitions (the most recent being at Access Contemporary Art Gallery in Sydney, 1998) and has been included in a number of group exhibitions including, Perspectives (Orange Regional Gallery, 1987), Interpretations in Clay (Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, 1990) The Ceramic Object (Manly Regional Art Gallery, 1992), Vessel - Contemporary Australian Ceramics (Canberra School of Art Gallery, 1996) Matter of Making - CSA Alumni (Canberra School of Art Gallery, 1996), The 5th Australian Contemporary Art Fair (Melbourne 1996) and Stone Fruits (aGOG, Canberra, 1998).

As well as being represented in the collection of the Orange Regional Art Gallery, Manly Regional Art Gallery, Charles' work is in numerous private collections in Australia. In 1990 she was awarded a Professional Development Grant by the Visual Arts/Crafts Board of the Australia Council.