BIOGRAPHY
Elise Mesnard is a Portland Oregon based artist with her BFA from the Savannah College of Art & Design. She has been greatly influenced by Baroque, Romantic and Symbolist paintings. Her work focuses on exploring the play of light and shadow amongst dynamic forms. Meanwhile, her subject matter stems from a sense of mysticism, magic, and the unknown.
STATEMENT
"I’ve been giving some thought to the things that inspire and compel me to create my work... most notably esoteric mysteries, symbols, reminders of our mortality, and the pull of civilizations long gone. I find ancient forms of superstition and protective ritual compelling, as through them we are able to connect with those who have gone before us. Though we’ve never met, loved, laughed or cried with them, we are connected through our very existence on this earth and its claim to our bodies once we are gone. Inspired by myths and legends from all over, I attempt to translate these ethereal artifacts into physical manifestations through my art. It is in this vein that I create work and, to my deepest core, am intrinsically tied to it."