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, and illustrates a fascination with materials: some functional, some mundane some decorative, as well as the by products of current and defunct industries. Unconventional materials and found objects are considered for the unexplored possibilities they possess and the random juxtaposition that recontextualizes those objects when elevated to "art" such as the Readymades of Marcel Duchamp. Her mixed-media works are both wall-hung and free standing. 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 "painting 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, hardware, precious stone and found objects deemed worthy by virtue of it's 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 it's new incarnation as a work of art with a sense of nostalgia, sentimentality and soulfulness.

Elise'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 resides, as well as the Lower East Side in NYC.