Elyse Marie Underwood

Woman - Witch - Artist

I illustrate stories to show how our narratives affect real truths. We are shaped in the narratives we create about ourselves and the world around us. My world is reflected in the oldest tales, in the silent screams of ancient goddesses, and the crafty looks of old women. I use my work to embrace the kaleidoscopic truth in each retelling. And these pieces are just one step in my creative journey towards understanding them and myself.

These women of myth led my consciousness out into the world. An expansive world where women held many roles at many ages, more complex than I knew before. No god or man needed to save these powerhouses. The crone will teach you how to save yourself, the witch how to master yourself, the monster how to love yourself, and the goddess how to define yourself. These ideals, mythologies, characters, and deities have dug metaphorical claws into my creative work. How different would little girls grow if we learned from the stories of Hecate and Lilith, who bowed to no one? Instead of sweet mother Mary who must claw her sovereignty and divinity back from the clutches a male god? How different if we saw the two sided face of Her who is creation and death, fitting our life into that earth mothers endless cycle? These stories convey the strength of a female divinity and sovereignty that is lacking in our world today.

I think of myself as a storyteller. My art is inspired by the watercolor work of late 19th century artists like Edmund Dulac and the composition styles of Pamela Cole Smith and Aubrey Beardsley. These traditional mediums are then informed by modern feminist activism and strong women in myth and folklore. Gold tinged watercolors that reverberate with the stories of women across the globe that are marginalized by their religion, their country, and their myths. My art is an expression of my rage, and also my hope. 

We are the stories we tell. And my stories are right here. I hope you can hear them.