STATEMENT
I work with paper to explore both personal experiences and contemporary issues. My collages combine organic and geometric forms with pieces from my deconstructed paintings and cut-outs from previous work.
I'm always looking for connections between these different materials through color, shape, and texture. The balance between positive and negative spaces is just as important—sometimes what's not there says as much as what is. This approach lets me blend visual appeal with deeper messages.
Drawing inspiration from music, society, and culture, intention is to bring the viewer into a world where simplicity reveals complexity and deep meaning, yet always feels within reach.
ABOUT
Elise Margolis is a visual artist born and raised in New York City. She began painting at an early age and never stopped pursuing her artistic expression. Having explored a range of mediums, her current work centers on collage as an integral part of her creative practice. Margolis uses cut paper, her own deconstructed paintings, and sourced images to create new and reimagined abstract works.
An early inspiration for Margolis came while studying under artist Hananiah Harari at The Art Students League. During his long career, Harari worked in both painting and collage. His mixed media collages from the 1930s and 1940s blended representational and whimsical elements to form his unique style. While intrigued by his narrative approach, Margolis gravitated toward abstraction as a way to express her inner thoughts and emotions. She also found inspiration in Stuart Davis and Alexander Calder's energetic compositions. Their aesthetics inspired her to explore how organizing shapes, colors, and lines could generate balance and unity.
As a member of the NY Artist Circle and a former member of the Brooklyn Collage Collective, she helps foster a community around her medium. Margolis continues to make vibrant abstract collages exploring the intersection between the seen and the unseen.
