MY STORY
Creating art has been an intrinsic part of my being for as long as I can remember. While my artistic path has varied, coming from a long line of storytellers and educators has contributed to my desire to visually tell stories. By using painting and printmaking as a vehicle to create, I am able to speak on race, culture and the disruption of societal norms, as well as fulfill my desire to portray black figures as more than monolithic creatures.
Oftentimes, I go back in forth between my painting, fashion line
and printmaking practice, sometimes combining both elements in my work.
Although my styles and techniques sometimes vary, I consistently come back to using black figures and my experience as an African American woman as inspiration for my work. No matter what I create, the thought is to share the beauty of blackness as well as to spark conversation. Creating visual voices for the people in my community while giving them the permission to unapologetically take up space.
My work consists primarily of paintings of women of color in addition to linocut prints that touch on hair, race, culture, and the disruption of social norms.
I often uses bright colors, black and white, and sometimes text to visually communicate information about her subjects. With each brushstroke, her goal is to capture the inner essence of the people she places on canvas.
Originally from the suburbs of Gahanna, Ohio, Elise developed her love of creativity while spending her summers in theater and art camps as a youth and sharing time with her mother doing arts and crafts at the kitchen table.