Karena Elise is a painter of memory, movement, and quiet transformation. Her abstract works evoke the flow of water, the softness of wind, and the emotional imprint of landscapes both real and remembered.

Guided by intuition and inspired by the natural world—Bali’s lush quiet, the clarity of Lake Tahoe, the warm high desert of the Eastern Sierra—Karena’s work translates experience into color. Using raw canvas and a generous flow of water, she allows pigment to soak, spread, and settle, capturing moments that feel both spontaneous and intentional. The result is work that is calming, immersive, and emotionally resonant.

Her studio practice reflects her presence: gentle, thoughtful, unhurried. While she moves slowly through the world, her painting process is quick, embodied, and in flow. Influenced by color field, impressionist, and abstract expressionist traditions, Karena’s paintings invite the viewer to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember the feeling of being somewhere beautiful.

Ms. Elise is currently a Teaching Artist with Arts for All Nevada, a non-profit seeking to integrate the exploration of arts and culture into the lives of all.

Ms. Elise is open to collaboration and commission work on a case by case basis.

SHOWS & EXHIBITIONS

2025
Solo Exhibition - NV Energy Building - Reno, Nevada

2024
Weather Group Show - Sierra Nevada Arts Foundation - Reno, NV

2023
Solo Exhibition - Sierra Water - Reno, Nevada
12x12 Group Show - Sierra Nevada Arts Foundation - Reno, NV