I create large abstracts, worked flat. I start with acrylic paint, begin with colors in different areas, and manipulate the canvas until I find what works. The beginning is almost arbitrary, but what emerges is usually surprising. I try to keep the viewer simultaneously engaged by the complexities of the work and soothed by the empty spaces in between.
Elyse Martin (b.1951, Chicago, Illinois) attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and earned a BFA in painting from Washington University in St. Louis. Inspired by weekly visits to the Art Institute, Elyse’s drive to create began early in childhood. Martin taught art in Chicago’s inner city and worked as a consultant for Crayola, where she developed lesson plans used by student artists across the country. The current work of Elyse uses acrylics and a variety of mediums to create abstract, high color, complex images. Her regional and national award-winning work is featured in private collections, corporate offices, and residential building lobbies.
