Ana Elsner shows ART and SOUL

Digital Montages

Ana Elsner shows a selection of her digital montages:

"I started doing these tableaus as illustrations for one of my poetry manuscripts. But then the visual artist in me came out, and I ended up creating a large series of digital art which worked even better as limited edition prints to frame and hang on the wall.
What you see here is an example of an early book-page version."

All photos and images on this website © ANA ELSNER

The Question Project :

.
Poet Ana Elsner is a proud participant in The Question Project, a collaborative project that visually combines poetry and painting in one piece of artwork. It was conceived and created by artist Bill Mercer, who does exquisite black ink brushwork on paper. He marries the poet's words to each individual painting, and integrates them in his art. The words are short phrases in the form of a question. Bill invited Ana to compose several original lines for this unique project. Among the questions that Ana contributed are
:

what else could ever lift the blindfold from your soul ~
can you hear the wind in my tears ~
what would be the point if not even you ~
.
These joint works by Bill Mercer and Ana Elsner were featured in a 2010 exhibition at a San Francisco art gallery.

: :

Watercolors by Ana Elsner

:
"Who says poets can't paint? Well, I don't know who says that, but this poet decided to test herself. In spring of 2008 I went to the art-supply store and purchased the paraphernalia of the painters' trade. By way of this experiment, my objective was to liberate the written word from being relegated to books and printed matter, and to have it be boldly displayed as original visual art, right alongside the artwork that already graces the walls of your home.
Here is the outcome of my painterly efforts: A set of watercolors that features excerpts from my own poems, set against a backdrop of pastel washes and fanciful shapes that magically appeared in my mind's eye."

"Three of these watercolors were hung in a group show at a North Beach gallery. Much to my surprise, I was contacted by an art collector weeks after the show had been taken down. He purchased two of my paintings.
Of course, I was delighted and gratified, and took it as proof that my experiment had been a success. However, I have since decided to abandon my foray into painting and to leave the visual rendering of poetry in the experienced hands of established artists."
.
"After all, it is the writing of poetry that is my true calling." - Ana Elsner
.