Artist: Elise Wehle
Bio: Raised in California, Elise Wehle moved to Utah to study art at Brigham Young University, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts. It wasn’t until she visited Granada’s Alhambra, however, that she understood what kind of art she wanted to make. In Spain, the intricacy of the palace’s hand-carved patterns captivated the artist, and she began incorporating dense repeating patterns in her own art. Wehle’s artwork has been exhibited across Europe and the United States. Notably, the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design showed her work, and the Guardian and the Observer have featured her pieces in print and online. She currently lives in Orem, Utah with her husband and three children.
Title: A Mother's Labor
Medium: Clay, thread, pressed plants, acrylic paint, and paper
Dimensions: 25 x 5 ½ inches
Price: $350
Artist Statement: Using lush green leaves, I have created a branch of a family tree. Amid the leaves are little marks of embroidery, symbols of effort as a mother tries to create something beautiful for her children and family. Yet little holes of incomplete pattern also dot the leafy branch. They represent the imperfections and shortcomings of the parental relationship, because no matter how hard she loves and works and worries, a mother will always fall short of her own expectations and of those around her. This artwork tries to reconcile the beauty and the failures of our familial bonds and reminds the viewer that the branch still grows despite it all.
