- Origin: Gahanna, Ohio
- Active: Nashville (Davidson County)
- Region: Middle
- Mediums: Painting, Fiber/Textile
Elise Kendrick
Creating art has been an intrinsic part of my being for as long as I can remember. While my artistic path has varied, coming from a long line of storytellers and educators has contributed to my desire to visually tell stories. By using painting and printmaking as a vehicle to create, I am able to speak on race, culture and the disruption of societal norms, as well as fulfill my desire to portray black figures as more than monolithic creatures.
Oftentimes, I go back in forth between my painting and printmaking practice, sometimes combining both elements in my work. While my paintings use a lot of bold, vibrant color, my linocuts tend to be black and white, and full of a lot of texture and pattern. However, the themes are often parallel and the usage of strong figures can be seen throughout both mediums.
Although my styles and techniques sometimes vary, I consistently come back to using black figures and my experience as an African American woman as inspiration for my work. No matter what I create, the thought is to share the beauty of blackness as well as to spark conversation. Creating visual voices for the people in my community while giving them the permission to unapologetically take up space.
Like many inhabitants of Nashville, Elise R. Kendrick is a transplant to “Music City,” from the small suburbs of Gahanna, Ohio. Growing up, her summers spent in theater and art camps as well as the time she shared with her mother, at the kitchen table doing arts and crafts, helped develop her love for creativity.
While attending Tennessee State University, she received her B.S. in art with a concentration in jewelry and metals. But it wasn’t until after college that she began seriously painting and printmaking. Primarily, her current work consists of paintings of women of color as well as linocut prints that touch on the subjects of hair, race, culture and disrupting societal norms. Oftentimes, she uses bright colors, black and white, and sometimes text as a way to visually communicate information about her subjects.
CRAFTING BLACKNESS 
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