We were lucky to catch up with Elyse Dodge recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elyse, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I was raised in a home where we were encouraged to research, create and build the things that we wanted to see in this world. From a young age, I knew that my purpose was to create things that inspire others but I wasn’t sure in which discipline. Having a mother who is an artist meant that I had access to art supplies, books and creative outlets from the moment that I could hold a brush. After graduating high school, I studied graphic design, exhibit design, interior design and visual arts while creating paintings in my spare time. For 8 years, I pursued a career in the events industry working as an event designer and Art Director creating event brands, signage and installations for festivals, conferences and corporate events. I loved designing experiences at that scale but I missed having the creative freedom to express my own ideas. That clarity motivated me to start working as a full time artist and build my own career.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a visual artist who creates colorful and low poly artwork for clients homes, corporate spaces and commercial buildings across North America. My artwork deconstructs the natural environment into its basic form while incorporating contrasting and fluid elements into the foreground. By removing some of the visual noise and simplifying the composition I am able to focus the viewer on the colors, shapes and general feeling that the vista creates – transforming glass buildings into a kaleidoscope of color and blank walls into fractalized mountain landscapes.
50% of my art practice is creating custom acrylic paintings of clients favorite destinations into colorful and geometric works of art. The other 50% is split between digital illustrations and large format art installations for clients like Westfield Century City, TED and the Ronald McDonald House. Working on environmental installations and murals made me consider how guests experience the art and how to make them feel immersed or somehow transformed by it. My artwork aims to bridge the gap between art and design – finding a fresh and new perspective on how we enhance our environment through the use of color, form and meaning.
If you are in Los Angeles you can see a few of my architectural paintings at the Billis Williams Gallery in Culver City or you can check out 3 of my billboards at Westfield Century City. If you are visiting or live in Vancouver, Canada, you can also see some of my paintings at the Adele Campbell Gallery in Whistler or see my panoramic mural near the Strathcona Brewery.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1) Big moves only come from a LOT of small moves. It does not happen overnight. You won’t get the top galleries wanting to showcase your work right away, you won’t get 100,000 followers on Instagram from one viral video, you won’t get a big break that will change the course of your career. BUT you will gradually get better with every piece that you create, every project that you take on and every contact or client that you make.
2) Be prepared. Do your research and make a list of the galleries and artists that you admire and why, make a mood board of the style of work that you are drawn to and want to emulate, research and apply for artist opportunities in your community, document your work and have a portfolio, website, social media or proposal prepared to share your work, have a pricing strategy that covers your cost of goods and hours invested (most artists don’t charge enough) and listen to artists interviews or creative podcasts that cover a lot of these things like Creative Pep Talk or the Jealous Curator’s Art for your Ears.
3) Just keep working (on your art practice and on paying your bills). I was a graphic designer and an art director in the events industry juggling a growing list of art commissions and clients on the side for many years. I didn’t become a full time artist until I had 6 months of work lined up and was on maternity leave. A lot of aspiring artists don’t realize that the skills you pick up in your day job are often very transferable in your own art business. Client management, building presentations, vendor research, project management, marketing, organizing – these are all skills that are equally important to your talent as an artist. When you do become a full time artist know that you will have to work much harder than most of your friends to make ends meet and grow your business. It is not the kind of job that you can leave at the office, but if it is what you love doing then get hungry and hustle to share the work that you love!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Corporations + Brands: I am looking for corporate clients or brands that want to collaborate on products, murals or art installations. I just finished working with J Skis on a new illustration inspired by Lake Tahoe for their Escalator skis and just finished installation a custom illustration of La Jolla Cove for a billboard at Westfield UTC in San Diego. If there are any developers, architects or designers looking for ways to enhance their buildings I would love to help create a custom art installation that can activate your space in an imaginative way. If your office, restaurant, store or shopping centre need some life and color injected into it, I would also love to send you a proposal.
Fabricators + Artists:
I have been working on some new sculptural 3D printed concepts and am experimenting with reflective and mirrored finishes. If there are any fabricators, industrial designers or fellow artists who want to collaborate on this I would love to talk. I have also been dreaming of creating some basic animations of my illustrations and turning them into a timelapse so for any of my 3D artists or techies who know how to make this happen I would love to chat!
Custom Art:
There is nothing I love more than creating custom paintings for clients that remind them of their favorite destinations. If you need something special for your home please reach out to me at the email below.
Contact:
You can email me at hola@elysedodge.com, visit my website at www.elysedodge.com or see the behind the scenes on instagram @elysedodge
Contact Info:
- Website:www.elysedodge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elysedodge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElyseDodgeArt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elysedodge/
Image Credits
Photographer: Tamsin Carriere, Projects: “City of Angles” at Westfield Century City and “Aura” for the Amazing Brentwood Mall in Burnaby, BC, Canada.
