Born in the folds of WV Appalachia, Elsie has always been drawn to the deep creviced mountains and valleys of these early years and then to the soft hills and ridges of her Kentucky years. Even in her travels, she finds unique formations which she sketches. These sites are the sources of her work where she feels an ethereal affection, a simple connectiveness to these unique geological arrangements.
She sketches these landscapes in pencil or pastel at the site. From these sketches come the paintings on canvas, now set in a different context, looking to communicate the feeling, the mood first perceived when sketching. Here, the colors become expressive, the composition unadorned.
Elsie has always been attracted to the work of the early 20th century German Expressionists. These are the expressive strokes in her interpretive paintings, with an underlying commitment to originality and discipline. All of her paintings, as well as her pastel and pencil drawings are original, one of a kind work.
Exhibiting extensively both in juried and invitational exhibitions for many years, Elsie’s work has been published in Best of Acrylic Painting and Landscape Inspirations. Her paintings are in many private and public collections in the U.S. and abroad.
In addition to creating original art work, Elsie has designed and produced large scale murals, ballet and stage productions, has been employed as a graphic artist with Kentucky Educational Television. Elsie has also worked in arts management with the Lexington Council of the Arts (now LexArt) first as Visual Arts Gallery Director and later as Media Liaison for all groups connected with Council projects. From time to time, she has been involved with the inception and development of many not-for-profit galleries in the Bluegrass region.
She has also been instrumental in setting up many art fairs and exhibits, juried and invitational and new galleries including Artist’s Attic, an artist’s studio-gallery venture located on the 4th floor of Victorian Square in downtown Lexington, KY.
Elsie has held numerous volunteer positions including Gallery Director, Membership Chairman and President of the Lexington Art League. She chaired the Endowment Fund committee for The Lexington Art League and serve the representative for the Visual Artists at the Market in the Craft Market program for the Kentucky Arts Council. |
