Elise Black's varied body of work is a marriage of creative paths the artist has taken as a painter, sculptor and designer. It is the culmination of a life-long creative journey of exploration and expression…allowing her different mediums to impact and inform each other. This cross-pollination of ideas also incorporates a fascination with found and unconventional materials: some functional, some mundane some decorative, as well as the by products of current and defunct industries. These unconventional materials and found objects are considered for the unexplored possibilities they possess and the random juxtaposition that re- contextualizes those objects when elevated to "art" such as the "readymades" of Marcel Duchamp.
"Reconstituted Abstraction" is a term the artist coined that best describes her process of dissolution and reconstitution. Paintings may begin on canvas or board but often divert from there, imposing upon the negative space around it by extending the existing planes. This dimensionality is achieved through collage and assemblage techniques.some paintings becoming so dimensional as to be more aptly referred to as painted assemblages reminiscent of the Combines of Rauchenberg from the 50's.
Materials utilized in Black's work often include leather, fabric, yarn, glass, wood, metal, furniture parts, antique artifacts, hardware, precious stone and other found objects deemed worthy by virtue of its' inherent or potential beauty. It's not important what their intended use was in a previous life. Instead, they are celebrated for their intrinsic beauty and form. Wheels are a recurring presence as they allude to the cyclical nature of these reconstituted entities. That many of her found objects have a storied past only adds to their allure and infuses each new entity with a sense of nostalgia, sentimentality and soulfulness.
Black's work appears in corporate and private collections worldwide and is included in the Permanent Art Collection of the town of Westport Ct. where the artist resided for 28 years. She spends her time In Pompano Beach, Fl. as well as the Lower East Side in NYC.
Education
• Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC 1979-1982
• Postgraduate studies include clay sculpture at F.I.T. with Jerry Luisi 1986-1988
• Metal Fabrication at Silvermine School of Art, New Canaan, Ct. 1992-2001
Associations
New York Society of Women Artists
Society of Ct. Sculptors
New Canaan Sculpture Association
Selected Art Exhibitions 1996 to Present
1996 Whitney Gallery, Westport, Ct
1996 Nature Center, Westport, Ct
1997 Get Real Art, NYC
1998 “Global Vision”, Savacou Gallery, NYC
2001 125 Main Street, Westport, Ct. “Humanform” a one-woman multi-media installation in atrium (2001-2008)
2002 Westport Arts Center, Westport, Ct
2003 , 2004 James Beard House, NYC
2004 Pleiades Gallery, NYC , New York Society of Women Artists
2004 Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, ct. NYSWA
2005 Carriage Barn, New Canaan, Ct. 80th anniversary show of NYSWA
2006 Westport Arts Center, Westport, Ct.
2007 “Emergence” one woman show at ChiArtcentre, Westport, Ct. (2007-2008)
2008 “The Circus in Sculpture”, Barnum Museum, Bridgeport, Ct.
2009 Westport Arts Center
2009 “Coloring Outside The Lines”, Great Hall, Westport Library
2010 “Texturally Inspired Diverse Works” by Elise Black, Troy Fine Art, Southport, ct.
2010 Richard’s, featured artist Greenwich, Ct.
2011 Mitchell’s featured artist, Westport, Ct.
2011, “Splash”, Housatonic Museum of Art, Bridgeport, Ct., Juror: Marianne Brunson Frisch
* second prize
2011 Long term sculpture installation at the MLB Fan Cave, NYC
2012 100th Anniversary of Greenwich Arts Society juried show Bendheim Gallery Greenwich, Ct. Juror: Marla Prather, curator of 19th century modern and contemporary art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC*Prize
2012 “Explorations”: a journey of artistic possibilities, Seti Gallery, Kent, Ct
2012 “Art Takes Time Square”, premier event, NYC
2012 “Akasha”, Rockwell Fine Art, Westport, Ct.
2013 “The Sweet Art Show”, Laura’s Fine Art, Westport, ct.
2013 Mana Contemporary, Jersey City
2014 Mana Contemporary, Jersey City
2014 Affordable Art Fair, NYC
2014 Rowayton Art Center (guest juror)
2014 "Necessity", LeClerc Gallery, Norwalk,Ct.
2015 Affordable Art Fair, NYC
2015 ArtHamptons
2015 Ct. Affordable Art Fair, Norwalk, Ct.
2016 Ct. Affordable Art Fair, Norwalk, Ct.
2016 "What Comes to Be", Rockwell Art, Westport, Ct.
2016 "The Natural Realm", Eleish Van Breems, Westport, Ct.
2017 Love Gallery, SoNo, Ct.
2017 The Avenue Gallery, Norwalk, Ct.
2017 C.Parker Gallery, Greenwich, Ct.,
2018, 20129,2020,2021 C.Parker Gallery, Greenwich, Ct.
2019,2020, 2021, Swoon,Westport, Ct
2019, 2020, 2021 Destination Haus, East Hampton, NY
2020,Featured Artist: Plunge Beach Resort Lobby Gallery
Various corporate and private collections:
Westport Permanent Art Collection (acquired 2001)
Saugatuck Elementary School, Westport, Ct.
Kings Highway Elementary School, Westport, Ct.
World Cup School, Chappaqua, NY
Hillel, UCONN, Storrs Ct. (commission)
Governer's Mansion, Hartford, Ct.