ABOUT

Elke Arnesen knows very little about almost everything. And she should know that; she has tried many things… And yet, through those years of trying on different hats, she kept coming back to her art. 

Arnesen grew up on the east coast and developed an obsession with portraiture at an early age, relentlessly asking her family to sit still so she could attempt to capture their features. This is when she felt most connected with them, when she was studying their lines and reactions and subtle movements. 

Perceiving the unfiltered wholeness of another is intoxicating. 

Through years of practice, Arnesen developed the skill of realistic rendering with a pencil.

And before she knew it, she moved to a rural town on the western slope of the Rockies, left a stable career to pursue her art, and realized she needed to understand color and learn how to paint.

In a cosmic convergence of paths, this is when the opportunity came along to apprentice with the renowned visionary artist Amanda Sage. Arnesen now works as the Studio Assistant and Apprentice to Sage, refining her skills and developing her voice as she learns the industry.