The Year of the Firehorse

Written By Elise Wagner

This year is off to a very busy start as I tap into the energy of the Chinese New Year of the Firehorse. I am embracing my freedom to create with abandon as the nature of the horse intends. Daily meditation, praying for humanity and movement has been my saving grace in staying focused on my studio practice. The gravity of recent traumas and grief in my personal life are slowly dying and making way for the joy and abundance that lies ahead. Six decades of life in this world are soon to culminate and this is something I have been deeply reflecting upon. I am humbled and grateful for all of the lessons, both good and bad that have crossed my path.

My studio on the water here in Astoria, Oregon has been an undeniable influence on my work. The word for the new work is Buoyancy. Seeing the buoy from my window each day has come to stand as a symbol of resilience in facing the many tides of trauma and grief that we endure and hold in this life.

My life living side by side with another artist, my beloved Gabe, has been like a really good dream. We keep each other lifted up, supported and focused on our work. It is a deep love and friendship grounded in mutual respect. After a year of continual travel, we have been settling in to our community here and in deep nesting mode in both our home and studio working towards our shows in September, mine in Astoria at Imogen Gallery and his at Russo Lee Gallery. I also have a November show opening in Seattle. Our next trip is to New York in October after I teach at the Center of Contemporary Print in Norwalk, Connecticut. Also, we have an Instagram just for our travels and life together (our art feeds were getting crowded with mushy love stuff). You can find us @wagnandez.

I have been so busy in the studio, as the maker of Print Wax and Program Director at Pier 11 Studio. It has been an infinite balance that is resulting in a real shift happening in the work. My printmaking practice is fully merging with my painting and maturing in addition, I have created a new edition of Chinne Collé prints (French for Chinese glue) and am working with large format versions of my photgraphs. I have been too busy to stop and share everything.

In an effort to maintain my mental health and be less governed by social media, I have been posting a bit less. I do post though so, if you want to see what I’m up to, you can always check out my Instagram feed @elisewagnerstudio below. This recent video was created by Hawthorne Media Group to broadcast on the home page of my new gallery “Lost in Composition”. The Vimeo link has some insights I’ve shared on the new direction that the work is taking. Speaking of new directions, stay tuned for a long awaited whole new look for elisewagner.com, coming soon!

Wishing you peace and success in whatever this current year of the Firehorse holds for you!

XO,
Elise

Pier 11 Studio, Astoria, Oregon

Instagram

Happy Birthday to my east coast homey Eileen. Honored you chose to come to Astoria and bring your Brooklyn pal Liz to see the Pacific for the first time, what a treat!! Grateful for your friendship and to have you in my family of friends all these de
🐣Happy Easter Sister.🐣 It was one month today that you departed and I am one month old in this picture with you.♥️
. A couple from a new print edition I’m doing alongside several paintings in progress. “Underworlds 1 & 2” wax collagraph mono prints on dyed Hanji paper 12” x 12” Photo: @rebekah_johnson The titles represent Plu
. Hello there and if you are new here, welcome to my Instagram page. I am currently taking a break to mourn the dual loss of my mother in July and more recently, my sister. They were the women that made me and were anchors of strength, love and pr
. This image of a bubble chamber sub atomic particle has always been fascinating to me. I think it’s because it is so mysterious, fleeting, intangible and invisible to us. As I embark on my new work in this new year, I am seeing how I continue
. I need to get me a dremmel tool today, maybe @texasartsupply, a must visit while in Houston. This is a small drawing I did for a dry point etching. TSA confiscated my etching needle, I was SO bummed! 😨 It would be hard to use with this project an
. ⚡️One of four works from my Frequencies series, shaped by a preoccupation and fascination I’ve had with particle movement and the unseen choreography of matter. I’m drawn to the quiet collisions, the pulses and drifts that form the ar
. A recent piece created in 2025, now available at my new Seattle gallery @lostincomposition. So excited for this new partnership! If you are in Seattle, watch for their grand opening in March. The gallery is located across from the Ferry Terminal on
. ⚡️This is one of four from my Frequencies series, which aims to transcend the visible world and dive into the very essence of reality. Each painting serves as a portal to the wonder of hidden energies and intricate molecular dances that we cannot s
Elise Wagner

Painter, printmaker and educator based in Portland, Oregon. Exhibiting in Astoria, Oregon Washington D.C. and Seattle. Her prints are represented by Warnock Fine Art in Palm Springs California.

http://www.elisewagner.com
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Year of the Snake Part 3