Elasah Schaff-Smith is a mixed media and teaching artist in Pelham, NY. Coming from the cul- turally rich city of Chicago, she has explored many different mediums which include painting, sculpture, collage, photography, textiles, fashion, music and dance. Throughout her career, she has operated an art and design business as well as taught classes intermittently.
Elasah began her creative journey in Kindergarten, when she first put color to paper. That freedom and joy of expression has remained consistent and constant. Additionally, Elasah is strongly influenced by the energetic spirit of nature. These themes and modes of expression remain the same whether she is painting a landscape or making a mixed media collage. For example, there is inspiration in the movement of the wind, tropical settings or bodies of wa- ter. Her deep love for the natural world and its constantly changing landscape is a continuous reminder of the mystery of life and the challenge of integrating within it.
There is an improvisational style in Elasah’s creative expression; capturing moments of mys- tery while experiencing the magnificent beauty of the earth. When painting on surfaces with a variety of tools, the worlds of abstraction and realism merge, using textural media and col- or. The paintings hint at using a lyric language combined with the idea of a visual soundscape. Her work reflects the poetry of nature.
