Elise (ellie) Leake is a Charlottesville & Richmond based artist and a current undergrad student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Working primarily on a large scale, she finds that presenting figures closer to “life-size” helps bridge the gap between abstraction and relatability, allowing viewers to better grasp the emotional and psychological nuances of the work. Her current medium of choice is oil on unstretched canvas. This “unfinished” aspect of her work correlates with the continuous and ever changing nature of our own lives, it leaves potential for what can be.

Leake creates portraits of figures in action, engaged with their environments. She aims to have viewers locate themselves in these imaginary spaces and reflect on their experiences. How do we exist beyond the limits of our personal stories? What is the nature of existence itself? Is that all existence is? Just experiences? Her pieces survey transitions of distortion, light, and color, seeking to capture moments of human interaction and introspection. Many aspects are taken from moments in her own life, whether it be personal exchanges, or as simple as light fixtures in a bar

In many paintings, the figures seldom confront the viewer with eye contact. Her intention is to express how beautiful the potential encounter with strangers can be–imagining the fleeting moment of eye contact between a stranger and ourselves.  In “The Locals” many figures avert their eyes from the viewer and one another, articulating the superficial interactions we maintain with strangers in moments like these because we have yet to understand their flaws. 

Through these portraits,  Leake aims to capture the essence of human existence—from the mundane to the extraordinary—within a surreal, fabricated reality. While the characters and scenarios she depicts may never have occurred, their universal emotional truths allow viewers to connect with them in ways that transcend time and place. These moments, articulated from my life experiences,  tell her story through made-up characters—channeling abstract thought into something visually tangible. The figures she paints represent a range of emotional states, from work to play, yet each piece speaks to the shared humanity that connects us, even in moments of somber solitude. As she expands her work, she intends to dig deeper into which emotions transcend and connect us all.