Elise is a multidisciplinary artist from Haverhill Massachusetts. She has her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Elise mainly works sculpturally in ceramics creating large sculptural forms and two-dimensionally with oil paint.

Artist Statement

Vivid color is the unifying element throughout my work, each piece being flooded with unique hues. In both paintings and sculptures, color intersects with and distorts form. The paintings have dramatic coloring, altering the reality of the portrait. Rather than natural skin tones, warm and cool colors fracture the face amplifying the emotional quality of the painting regardless of the neutral expression of the subject.

Similarly, the sculptures evoke emotions. Rather than looking at a solid-colored sculpture, the viewer is met with large abstract forms with surfaces intersected by color. Each has areas of color that either emphasize the motion of the form or break it. The sculptures appear to be alive, growing, or reaching out where others are falling in on themselves or leaning onto others. These nonrepresentational forms allow for emotion to take precedence. The movement and pose of each express a sense of inner turmoil and tension.