Elise Mahaffie’s love for the West took root when she was 11 years old, on a cross-country family trip that brought her through Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Did You Catch That?, oil on canvas, 36 x 18 in.
Working in oils, her style leans into bold colors and strong, graphic linework because that’s how these moments feel to her: vivid, immediate, almost too alive to soften with realism alone. “I’m drawn to close crops and unexpected angles—the posture of a body that creates an interesting composition, a shape that negative space can create to pull the viewer in closer—because these small details can help carry the story,” the artist says. “When painting my subjects, I’m always moved by the patience, the quiet dignity and the true grit that these women and men hold. I want viewers to feel like they’ve stepped into the moment rather than observing from a distance.”
Days End, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 in.
Mahaffie’s work is now on view at the Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida, as part of the Society of Animal Artists through December 11, and also with the Women Artists of the West through November 6 at the Centerpiece gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina. —
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www.elisemahaffie.com
IG: elisemahaffie
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elisemahaffie@mac.com
Represented by: West Lives On Gallery Jackson Hole, WY » www.westliveson.com
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