Cohen, Elyse

Elyse Campus Cohen was born in New York in 1940. She began her art studies at the Brooklyn Museum at eight years of age and continued her art education at notable New York art institutions. In 1961, newly wed and living in Greenwich Village, Elyse entered the work force designing textiles. Inspired by Tiffany designs, her artistic talents evolved to focus on the design and manufacturing of stained glass lighting and windows in a New York City factory she owned and operated for 15 years.

Elyse began her fine art career working with oil paints on canvas. New York served as inspiration and subject matter for much of her early work. Constantly seeking to challenge her artistic abilities, Elyse eventually turned her focus to watercolors.  According to Elyse “There is no comparison in the challenge, or in the color and luminosity I can get with watercolor, even though watercolor is a much harder medium to work in. People have no idea how difficult it is. The paper is totally unforgiving.”  This determination paid off, her mastery of this medium has resulted in a body of work that continues to earn her recognition in international art circles.

Elyse has always been inspired by the incredible beauty of flowers. She consumed herself in studying and painting the vast varieties of this seemingly endless subject. The artist states “How could Mother Nature have ever created such intricate designs and such outrageous forms, shapes and colors? As an artist I feel compelled to capture these fleeting delicate blooms into watercolor paintings that will last forever.”

The artist’s floral works capture the hearts of fine art collectors around the globe. She has participated in numerous gallery exhibitions and has successfully acquired international distribution for her art. Today, Elyse continues to create an extensive collection of floral works as well as exquisite architectural renderings and landscapes. The evolution of the artist’s success has been born of hard work, discipline and an unending passion to paint. The reward for her past efforts and resulting success is the luxury of focusing her energies in creating new works of art.