Elise Wagner Fine Art, LLC
Astoria, OR
I am continually interpreting the contradictions that exist between beauty, nature, science and the human propensity to understand through the science.
MessageElise Wagner is a painter, printmaker, educator and innovator. An east coast transplant from Jersey City, New Jersey, she has based herself in Portland, Oregon since 1986.
The uniquely defining aesthetic in Elise’s work melds her creative and spiritual practices with her fascination with and education in various disciplines of science – physics, astronomy, cosmology, cartography and meteorology and how they relate to changing technologies and the environment. Science and abstract art are defined as mystery, and Elise is continually curious about and negotiating this in her work.
The encaustic medium lends itself well to Elise’s studio practice and creative aspirations resulting in artwork rich with depth that is visually and emotionally captivating as well as intellectually compelling. Working with the encaustic medium since the early 1990’s led Elise to innovate a way to print from the texture of her paintings and merge the techniques of encaustic painting with that of collagraph printmaking.
A 2015-16 Pollock Krasner Award Recipient in addition to numerous regional awards, Elise shows her work at galleries in Washington D.C., Houston, Palm Springs, Astoria, Oregon and Seattle. Her work is included in corporate and private collections throughout the U.S. As an educator, Elise has been invited to teach and present encaustic painting and printmaking Internationally. Elise currently teaches virtual workshops and does private one on one mentoring.
Statement
My work speaks to the human impact on our rapidly changing world and interprets milestones of science through a contemporary abstract lense. Artists, like scientists, explore discovered and unknown territories. Images from satellite and drone photography have revealed a whole new visual world to translate contemporary discoveries. My art explores and responds to the effect that humans have on nature, science and the environment in the COVID-19 world we now find ourselves in.
I chose to devote my life to creating art in Oregon, a vastly different landscape from the densely populated urban area where I grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. Direct cues from the inspiring natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest have shaped my creative process and deepened my relationship with nature.
Over time, my art has evolved into a physical translation of the intangible and uncharted. Working with the painting medium of encaustic— beeswax, resin and pigment— I embrace paradox: I depict our Earth from above, planetary geology, melting ice and celestial bodies using hot beeswax, a substance that will grow scarce as its population dwindles. I am compelled through my art to link this ancient medium with the revelations in science and technology of today to engage the viewer, and remind us that the past always informs the future.
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