Relocating from Portland, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon on the North Coast where the force of the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean has been a big life change. Admittedly, I love the storminess of this part of the state and my work often references meteorology, climate, and geology. I can watch the storms land ashore from the constant horizon line surrounding me. Observing weather patterns and the greater connection to wild nature aligns with my creative practice, inviting me to focus. Now, as Winter makes way for Spring, the recent solar eclipse has ignited a surge of creativity that will catapult me to the completion of these twenty new works for my upcoming exhibition.

February 2024 Workshop and Studio Update

I have no idea what to expect, my first open studio in my new hometown, the north coast town of Astoria… The herculean Winter marathon of settling into my new studio has ended just in time for Summer. In the infancy of creating in a new space, it feels good. My groove, rituals and daily structures are all falling into place. Not counting the many breakfast nooks of Northwest Portland apartments in my formative years and the significant creative development that took place in Studio 211 where Mark Rothko attended elementary school, this is technically my fourth working studio. My first, 1993-1996 was in a storefront…

“The unifying theme in this body of work quite literally is transitions. I am excited to see how being in a new place that offers a constant view of the horizon combined with significant movement of constellations will inform the work. This series of 20 pieces, each 14” x 11”, represents both past and present, and in hindsight, they represent the 20 years of creating in my previous studio.”

Inspired by Harry Bertoia’s “View of the Earth from Space”, my vision for a public art installation reflects how our view of Earth has changed and how far space exploration has come while paying thoughtful homage to the piece Bertoia created in 1962.

Glacier movement and other scientific ‘perspectives’ inspire contemporary paintings by Elise Wagner. Learn about the work of Edward Burtynsky and about how Elise found inspiration for a series of new prints and painting.