I’m Elise, a one-woman operation making art and fulfilling orders from my home in the Great Lakes state

Making art has a way of grounding me and clearing my mind. Sharing it with you is the cherry on top.

It all starts with a drawing

I draw what comes to me in the moment with permanent marker, fully committing to each stroke as I make it. There’s no erasing, each idea and line builds onto the next, in the moment. It’s a practice of seeing my choices within a bigger, broader, and more beautiful narrative. It’s not about the individual strokes, it’s how they come together to form something new.

If you look closely at my artwork, you may see the vulnerability of my handiwork - the imperfect curves or a skewed line. I don’t retouch or adjust, I want the truth of the journey to stay with my work. For me it’s an exercise in self-acceptance, accepting myself where I am, as I am, and the peace that comes with it.

For my surface design patterns I will take a shape or element I have drawn into the computer to make it repeatable.

My Background

I grew up in a family of makers and musicians, but I never really took to an instrument. I loved graphic design, so I would often spend hours upon hours in my room on the computer making logos, fractals, abstract artwork, and learning to code to the tune of a trombone, saxophone or flute practicing in the room next to mine. I was schooled at home from middle school to graduation, and the moment my schoolwork was completed each day, I jumped back on the computer to play and learn some more. After graduation I freelanced and then got my first job designing websites. I have been designing websites and the platforms that power them for over 20 years now. I currently work at CNN as a Staff Product Designer.

I began to draw during the pandemic as a reprieve from a digitally driven life, exasperated by social distancing and isolation. I wanted to do something fun and I felt I needed a tactile outlet for self-expression. Drawing became very grounding for me, and still is. It feels brave to bring something into the world that didn’t exist before and to see what it might represent to myself and others.

My Design Ethos

  • DISTINCT

    Make art from within. Have volume, be seen, take up space.

  • HONEST

    Vulnerability in the artwork—imperfect curves and skewed lines—are true to its making and are preserved.

  • COLORFUL

    We are growing, evolving beings and all of the colors that represent that.

  • PLAYFUL

    Fun is ageless and play can be a welcome reprieve for ourselves and others.

A few of my favorite things

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