Hi there,
My name is Elyse and I am endlessly in love with the human body and connection through the lens of kink and erotica.
Like most artists I know, I began drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Creativity was an outlet and release for me, but it never something I thought I might be able to make a living off of. (In many respects, I’m still not at that point.) But I would continue to draw my favourite characters for years, inspired by anime, manga, and comics like Sailor Moon, the artist group CLAMP, and even Archie comics as a kid.
2017 was a transformative time of my life. I finally decided to start sharing my art online with others. It was then I learned that other people want to view and even purchase the art I make from time to time. I was shocked, and moved. It was around the winter or 2017/2018 that I began to put more efforts into my artwork.
I began exploring past relationships, interested in the visual metaphors of connection and the ties that bind us to other human beings. Rope/Shibari/Kinbaku – however you refer to it, the medium spoke to me. It’s a beautiful expression of the human body, the binds we find ourselves in, and the trust we place in others. I especially loved the unique contortions and impressions embedded into skin that could only be expressed through bondage and kink.
A good friend of mine contacted me, asking if I’d ever explored rope beyond my artwork, and sent me a link to a local shibari studio where they taught classes, workshops, and even hosted life drawing sessions. My first visit was eye-opening. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the warm welcome, the immediate friendships, and the teachings of enthusiastic consent and community quickly drew me in.
Kink opened my eyes to a new way of interacting with the world. It taught me about the importance of clear communication and boundaries. It taught me that consent was a concept that applied to all areas of socializing, and not strictly within the context of romantic intimacy. It taught me to trust others and myself in a way I’d never truly felt before.
It also taught me that there was indeed a market for my kind of art! I obsessively started attending workshops and life drawing sessions, intent on capturing the human body in as many situations as I could. It became the backbone of my artistic identity. I was enthralled.
After sharing my art online for a time, I began to get more and more requests for prints and commissioned paintings. I started to attend different art markets around Vancouver, BC, building up a presence and interest in my work. I rented a studio space with a friend at Slice of Life Art Gallery, and started to sell my works within the shop. Slice was a huge turning point for me: It was then that I started to really see myself as an artist.
When life brought me to Toronto, Ontario, I was amazed at the communities and people who were all so supportive of my work.
Which brings me to today. Here. Now. I want to share my art outside of the cities I live in. So I’m building this website in hopes of reaching an even wider audience than I have previously.
If you’ve read this far, I appreciate you taking the time to learn a little more about me.
Many thanks to all of my family, friends, and communities who’ve helped support me over the years.
Peace and Love.
El.
