Artist in an Airstream & Blogger

Hi Friends!

I’m a contemporary abstract artist who has found my groove later in life. Living a semi- minimalist life in my Airstream, allowed me to really focus on developing myself as an artist. This led to a more minimalist life in my Portland neighborhood apartment. I have kept my focus on acrylic painting. I may start with a broad theme in mind, then,  I follow my intuitive flow and allow images to reveal themselves as I layer on canvas using various mark making techniques, incorporating whole body movement to get paint on the canvas, and practicing really letting go of outcomes and control in the process. 

I want my viewers to pull from my work a sense of resiliency and hope  that carries us beyond life’s circumstances. I love finding beauty and inspiration in day to day life.  I want my bold colors and active lines to show action and growth follow finding one’s voice.  As a Black female artist I feel I bring perspectives not traditionally found in mass in mainstream galleries, and visibility that Black female artists really do exist. 

My hope is that my work connects the viewer with feelings of resilience, self-love, gratitude, hope and beauty. When viewing the work I want you to feel the connections we have  through our varied experiences. 

For my work this next year I will be working on larger scale pieces. I will be exploring the concept of the pursuit of biodiversity in all aspects of the word,  as a response to all of the negative effects climate change is having on us. 

I am also working on another series as a form of resistance to fascism. Im calling this series Ordinary People. In that famous line that starts “We The People…” they are talking about ordinary people like you and I. 2025 has been very challenging and depressing, yet as my painting always teaches me, there is always hope. The importance of each of us using our individual gifts and engaging with things that bring us joy to say no to injustice is the only thing that will stop the waves of hatred that we are seeing. Each time I feel hopeless I go out and engage with my community and organizations in it that are fighting for what is right, for kindness and love. Getting involved lifts my spirits, reminds me there is always hope, builds my community and introduces me to inspiring people. I started documenting these people in portraiture form with poetry added for my Ordinary People series.

Besides my work in Troutdale, I hope to be showing pieces again this summer at the Newmark Theater in Portland.  I’ll have smaller items at a Saturday Market in May at Art Design Exchange where my studio is located. And if you are looking for something for a small living space I will also be showing small works in a variety of locations around the Portland Metro. 

For my latest work sign up to follow me here or on instagrams @TinyAdventuresOfElisaMG. Originals are $2.50 a square inch. Prints on Metal are $1.00 a square inch. Commissions, let’s talk!

“Hope For Our Home”

In my “Hope For Our Home” project I am using my art as a form of resistance. I am working on this series as a way to address climate issues and inspire hope into action to save our home, planet earth. Each piece, like climate issues, is larger than life and abstract mirroring ways we might think outside of the box to find solutions. I want pieces in this series to connect people to the small things they love about our home, this planet, and inspire them to take action taking care of it. All profit made on the sale of these pieces will go towards reputable environmental organizations that are making a difference.

Ironically I started this painting layering colors that represented fire to me. Eventually forests, and the Japanese concept of “Shinrin-yoku”, or forest bathing, spoke to me. My use of the abstract and large canvas was intentional, mirroring the problems our forests face that feel insurmountable. I wanted the viewer to connect to the the healing nature of forests, from the medicines growing there to the peace one gets when entering the woods, and encourage them to think outside the box on how we might protect our forests.

To capture Petrichor, the familiar smell of soil after a rain,  I started layering colors that spoke to me. Painting large and abstract seemed the obvious choice to take on a subject as large as Climate Change. Intuitive mark making produced earthy variations of browns, golds and pinks in the first layers of this piece. Varying shapes, movement and patterns spoke to our interaction with the elements.  

My intuitive process and brush strokes created movement and currents, overlap and connectedness of human interaction with the elements,  and biodiversity. Mandela circles reflect humans are made of mostly water. Migrating lines and many shades of blue represents depths explored, as well as the unknown, and the complexity of what the ocean means to us. The rhythms of the ocean teach us to meditate. 

“Ordinary People”

My Ordinary People series is a tribute to all of the. Inspiring people I meet fighting fascism and hate. I hope that through my own creativity, people will find their own creativity and accomplish much. We are in a movement not a moment, and it is ordinary people doing small things consistently that will make the changes we need. Connecting back to my poetry and paint series, I use bright colors to capture the essence of individuals I meet along the way, and words to capture their stories they share with me in a sitting and interview. My hope is that viewers will connect with something in any one of the pieces that inspires them to see how they might get involved in fighting injustice too.

I started with a self portrait using my online resistance nickname, reflecting my own fears of getting involved and modeling safety instanding up. My image does not look much like the real me, and with a nickname, can share truths with some safety. I hoped that would motivate others to let me create their portraits and tell their stories too.

In less than a week White Oak Dancing loses her extra coverage in Medicare, the same way I lose my tax credits through the Affordable Care Act (yes, Obama care) that make health care affordable for me and that help her afford medicine for her severe diabetes. Without her medicine she will have about a week to live. She has never protested a day in her life and feels she really has nothing to lose, so fear has gone out the door and she jumped all in joining the protests.

June is a self proclaimed armchair activist. She focuses on fighting for Palestine as she believes, what is going on their is a litmus test for what’s going on everywhere. She adorns herself in jewelry and decor that inspires dialogue with the folks she comes into contact with everyday, and of course bouycotts anyone who supports the attrocities going on there.

Malcolm is a unique soul beyond the ordinary. His story blew me away with so much respect. Little did I know he is in wikipidia. With all of that he still started out with ordinary resistance work and he himself was influenced by activists who stood up for him when he was dieing in the days of the aids crisis. Malcolm taught me how to be less fearful and how de-escalte situations, as well as how to do civil disobedience.

“A Journey Through Grief”

My book club sent me a gift card for the art store Dick Blick. There is nothing like a live walk in art store. The internet can never do a better job. That said I’m a strong believer in supporting live walk in art stores. Anyhow, they gave me a gift card to process my grief of losing my dad in May of 2022. This beautiful series, which has some of my favorite work, is what came to be. Enjoy

“Love Letters In Paint”

Love Letters in Paint is a small series I did combining poetry I made up with images. The idea was to capture images and thoughts around self love and self care

“Whimsical Dreamer” Whimsical, Colorful Adventures And Dreams, Journey Along With Me. This painting was dedicated to my road dog Dudley. He traveled down the road with me across The United States and Canada. In spite of his small size, he makes me feel a little more courageous.

“Eat Your Beets” Eat Your Beets. Buy Local From Proud Farmers. Nourish The Soul. Eat Your Beets. Buy Local From Proud Farmers. Nourish The Soul. Eat Your Beets. Buy Local From Proud Farmers. Nourish The Soul.

In Pismo Beach, California we met a farmer at one of the little road side farm stands. He was so proud of his vegetables, especially his beets. Eating healthy seems like a no brainer yet it’s easy to not do. Buying from local food stands takes one back to the basics. And venturing out to discover the local delights is good for the soul when traveling to new towns along one’s journey.

“Love Letters To Myself Make Me Smile” This abstract was actually the first in the series of Poetry in Paint. I decided I would paint love letters to myself. I felt a bit silly so I tried to make this one completely abstract. I simply painted what came up for me. And the poem was: Love Letters To Myself Make Me Smile, written in a scribblly unreadable fashion allowing the viewer to simply see marks on canvas and keeping the letters all for myself. The Mandala shape came naturally and could be also interepreted as self. We all need to love ourselves. The original is in a home in North Minneapolis.

“A Mothers Love Is Fierce” A mother’s love is fierce. She lays her best intentions by your side. You’ll have many mothers in your lifetime. Keep hope for brighter days. Even mother earth will dance at the sweet sound of peaceful change. Sweet baby close your eyes. Mothers will love you for a lifetime. This poem and painting popped into my head when I heard the stories of mothers in the Ukraine giving their babies away, passing them through crowds over heads so that they could experience safety and freedom and hopefully not be touched by the war. I cried, and cried when I heard of their sacrifice. That is love. It made me think of my biological mother having to let me go so I could have a good life, which led me to thinking about my adoptive mother and mothers in general and the comporomises they make doing all they can to make sure we live well and are loved. Of course that led to all of the other “mothering” I have been so fortunate to experience…. mothering from a strong sisterhood of girlfriends and last but definitely just as important the mothering we give ourselves as we grow into adults and learn how to give ourselves the love we need.

“Femininity Defined”

My Feminity Defined series was inspired by my first experience in a virtual show put on by Black Girls Who Paint, an organization created by Sasha Loraine out of D. C., to honor and document Black Female Artists as well as encourage young Black girls to paint. The idea for the show was to paint what femininity means to us in a nontraditional way. In other words to break out of the over used naked woman or focus on our physical beauty representation of femininity.

Last I checked, 11% of the reprepresentation of artists in galleries are women, so you can imagine what small percent of that 11% are Black female artists. Your support is much appreciated.