Art Chowder January | February, Issue 19 | Page 22

E
lsie says, “I use the
figure a lot because Dad was
a figure painter. I learned
by drawing from a model
in school. I move from
recording people from life to
something more expressive,
more narrative; things people
can relate to. The narrative is
a part of it — relationships
— between people, lovers
or mothers and children.”
Her color sensibility is
reminiscent of Impressionism
or Post-Impressionist
European painting. Often the
works are pale, almost white,
punctuated with bright color
and Prussian blue or black
line.
Most of her paintings are
based on “real” stories from
her own experiences and
those of friends and family.
“I start with a specific idea
but it could change at any
time. Landscape turns
into a figure quite often.”
Sometimes the landscape
elements are representative
of the human figures or
human emotions, “I have
painted entwined trees based
on trees I saw in Kalamazoo
Michigan; trees are human-
like.”
Sometimes the work is
abstract or based on the
“essence of place visited.”
She has travelled and
collected images in her
sketchbook and photos. She
also gets inspiration from
her friendships with others,
including Spokane artist,
Tom Quinn.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE