Elise Spaid-Roberts of Terre Haute is River City Art Association’s May Artist of the Month featured in the lobby gallery of the Vigo County Public Library.

Art has been a way to learn about myself and process the world around me, Elise states in her artist’s statement.

My main subject matter is landscapes and allows me a bit of escapism while I’m creating. Strong influences in my subject matter comes from trips through mountains growing up, The Outer Hebrides of Scotland I visited in 2011 and the storms of the midwest.

When I’m creating blackout poetry, I spend time finding words or phrases that stand out to me before marking out the rest. This requires a high degree of focus and consideration of the final image. I use these poems to guide the paintings I make for each poem.

I also create art on a tiny scale. I tend to be a bit more playful with this process and enjoy what I can fit into a small space. My tiny art may be landscapes or more fantastical like the bottle cap doors. It all is a way to express or rest as I need.

Artwork in Elise’s exhibit includes
“Haven” featured above, Blackout Poem, Acrylic on Canvas

“Fellowship Doors”
Mixed Media Tiny Art
*These are made to look like Hobbit doors, each door represents a member of the Fellowship from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings

Also featured will be “Spring Within”
Blackout Poem, Acrylic, Watercolor on Canvas