Well-traveled, Elisa Boughner, produces artwork bursting with bright colors and intriguing patterns instantly enchanting the eye so viewers linger longer.
Vibrant, vivid color is the hallmark of Elisa Boughner’s bold, eye-catching artwork. Fearlessly she tackles a variety of projects from 2D pieces in oil to 3D sculptures formed in glass and metal towering as high as 44 feet!
Her sculptural work can be found outdoors at the Synnestvedt Arboretum in Glenview, IL and indoors at the Glenview Community Ice Center as well as Rush University Medical Center’s main hospital in Chicago. (Scroll down to watch her YouTube installation and construction videos.)
“I just love color,” Elisa shares enthusiastically. “It makes me happy.”
She describes her still lifes as inspired by the Art Nouveau style and also Henri Matisse. Matisse was the leader of the Fauvist movement around 1900 who used color vividly in his subject matter focusing primarily on domestic or figurative imagery.
“I love the quirkiness of imperfect things and capturing that,” Elisa explains. “It keeps viewers looking a little longer as their brains try to figure it out. When it’s non-realistic, it more intriguing.”
Elisa credits her attraction to color to living in Mexico City until she was age 12 due to her father’s job transfer. Although born in Evanston, she’s enjoyed exposure to many cultures through extensive travel that included a study abroad program while in college.
Graduating from Northern Illinois University, she holds both a BFA in print making and an MFA in drawing and painting. She’s continued her love of traveling in the years since.
“Because there’s constant rejection when you’re an artist, it’s really important to celebrate when you get ‘a win’”, she advises. “Keep looking for opportunities to get your work out there because one thing often leads to another.”
Elisa cites the example of being invited to appear in a gallery show in Maquoketa, Iowa, precisely because her work had been spotted in an airport terminal!
Summing up, Elisa says: “Life as an artist is fabulous! I love what I do – it makes me happy.
Plus, I have a dedicated space to work in. My advice to other artists is to just DO it! The problem is we think too much and don’t move forward through our fears. I consciously decide not to let a creative block hold me back. I just keep moving through it. There’s always someone out there who will love your work!”
Learn more here: Elisa’s website is www.boughnerart.com & below:
YouTube video of the Rush University Medical Center window, location 1620 W. Harrison St. Chicago. The window is approximately 4'x 5' made of fused stained glass and painted. There is an image of Elisa painting part of the glass in images below. Also, there is a side view when framed with Elisa in front of the freshly installed piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAe7OQHsccw
Here is a video of the making of both of Elisa’s other sculptures. "Robyn" a metal and cast glass sculpture residing at Synnestvedt Arboretum located in Glenview Illinois. The second is called "Under The Stars" and is a metal and fused and painted stained glass sculpture that measures 44' tall and 6' wide. This sculpture resides in the Glenview Community Ice Center in Glenview, Illinois. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqqR55VCUrc
THE FOLLOWING PIECES BY ELISA BOUGHNER ARE IN OIL
FAR & AWAY, 18" X 24"
HAPPY PLACE, 24" X 48"
TUESDAY MORNING, 24" X 24"