The Year of the Snake: Shedding my Scrappy Self Blog post by Elise Wagner, encaustic painter, printmaker, educator. Photo: Elise Wagner at work in her studio at Pier 11 in Astoria, OR.

Cheers to a wonderful 2024 and exciting adventures ahead in 2025! Read my latest blog and get caught up on all the news and studio developments. Artist, Elise Wagner

Embracing uncertainty has been a constant theme throughout my journey as an artist and as a human being. As this challenging year winds down, I find myself reflecting on the state of the world and the weight it carries. Hurricanes, political upheaval, climate disasters, dear ones passing—each event seems to amplify the fragility of the systems we live in and emphasize the fragility of life itself. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, even defeated. Yet, I promised myself that I would write something positive today, because

Turning 58 and my energy is the best ever. I’ve really loved being in my 50s, they will go down in my life book as one of my very favorite decades. There is so much on the horizon for my new trip around the sun that I look forward to digging into. One in particular is a new series of large prints I’ve been meaning to get to over the last two years.

The wind down from Summer has now arrived and with it, a feeling of recharge and looking forward to cooler temps. I’m one of those oddballs who looks forward to stormy rainy days. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you can smell the rainy season coming into the air during September and October. There’s a certain motivation and set of rituals that the rainy season here brings. You can choose to be sad about the gray weather here or choose to see the beauty, colors, and comforts of home that beckon your inspiration. One of my favorite quotes that sits on my fridge is by Horace — “Rule your mind or it will rule you”. Everything in life and in creativity itself is a series of decisions and choices.

What’s in a Title? Naming an artwork and an art show is a process. Here’s how I arrived at Wonder Land. The titles of each work individually will represent aspects of all the show titles in one way or another years, along with the title of the show morphing and changing with me through time, and through life will continue manifesting as I complete the last pieces. Read on…