Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisa Dore
Hi Elisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Atlanta to a Puerto Rican mother and a white father. I have always been artistic, and as a child I loved to draw and paint. I was especially drawn to highly detailed artistic processes and would spend hours at home drawing photorealistic portraits on computer paper.
My artistic interest really developed in college at the University of Tennessee, where I first encountered printmaking. I didn’t know what it was but I was curious about it, and so I found myself in a stone lithography class (a daunting class for a baby printmaker!) Something clicked in me and I realized printmaking was how I wanted to make work. I was immediately obsessed with the process of creating an image and reproducing it over and over. Printmaking quickly became a way for me to explore my mixed identity as well as (re)learn the aspects of my Puerto Rican history and culture that I wasn’t taught.
After graduation I moved around a bit, working in the Dominican Republic and then settling in Seattle. Due to moving and COVID lockdowns, I didn’t have access to a press and as a result I taught myself how to make prints at home in my studio apartment. My practice shifted into primarily woodcuts and linocuts, which are easier to do at home, and I hand-printed everything with a wooden spoon.
As time passes printmaking still captures my attention due to the methodical nature of the process, something I value more and more in a world of instant gratification. About a year ago I moved back home to Atlanta and I am currently in my second year of pursuing an MFA in printmaking at Georgia State.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up I knew I wasn’t all the way white or all the way Puerto Rican – I knew was something else. This in-betweenness led to confusion, insecurity, and a deep curiosity about Puerto Rico. I didn’t understand this feeling of not fully fitting in to either group I come from. I always wondered why I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish and why I felt a distance between me and my Puerto Rican culture. I came to realize my mom’s experience with racism and xenophobia growing up was why that distance was there; I also now understand she was trying to protect my siblings and me. I decided it was my choice to relearn what hadn’t been taught to me.
I still sometimes feel like an outsider with my clumsy Spanish and feeling not “Puerto Rican enough”, but I also realize there is a beauty in being someone who sits at the meeting point of two distinct worlds – I value my unique dual perspective even with the challenges that it comes with.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I primarily utilize printmaking to explore personal and ancestral histories, my existence between two cultures, and how this shapes my identity. Lately my practice has consisted of creating large scale woodcut prints. I hand-carve 4×8 foot blocks of wood to create textured, detailed images. Making work this size is a new and exciting shift for me – the scale of the image physically dwarfs me and the time it takes to carve something this big opens up a space for meditation. In that space I find myself asking questions, connecting with my body, and unearthing answers.
I’m proud of the strength and determination it takes to design, carve, and print something of this size, but I feel most proud when my work resonates with my community – Boricuas, mixed people, or the Latin American community at large.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elisadore.com
- Instagram: @elisa.dore
Image Credits
David King
