Biography

Elise Wagner is a painter, printmaker, educator, and innovator based on the North Coast of Oregon in Astoria. Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, she has called Oregon home since 1986. Elise’s work fuses art, science, and spirituality, drawing inspiration from physics, astronomy, geology, cartography, and the environment.

Her paintings and prints have been exhibited widely, with recent solo and group shows in Seattle, New York, and Oregon. She is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award and grants from the Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Her work is represented in corporate and private collections throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

A pioneer in encaustic painting and printmaking, Elise is also the founder of Wagner Encaustics, her boutique line of handmade encaustic paints. For nearly three decades, she has taught workshops and presented internationally, sharing her passion for this medium.

Elise’s studio practice explores the convergence of contemporary discovery, nature, and the celestial, reflecting her lifelong curiosity about how technology and the environment shape the human experience.