Elisha Dasenbrock creates watercolor paintings on board. The boards are a hard, smooth surface which does not absorb the paint. This causes many challenges, but also many advantages. One such advantage is that the surface aids Dasenbrock in creating loose, impressionistic paintings. Claybord also allows her the option of not framing the finished piece.
Dasenbrock uses a limited palette technique, preferring to mix her secondary and tertiary colors. A limited palette consists of 4-6 colors. There are endless variations. Currently, Dasenbrock uses the three primary colors of red, blue, and yellow as well as a darker color to add deep shadow.
Image ©ElishaDasenbrock2015
Palette Pictured: Cobalt Violet, Cerulean Blue, Cadmium Orange. Not pictured is a darker, violet; Windsor Violet. Her notes on this palette are that it is very pretty, but easily becomes “too violet.” Works best when darks are limited to 1 or 2 small areas, especially if the cerulean blue is the main color. Occasionally, she rotates the Windsor Violet for French Ultramarine Blue to avoid the “purple” situation. (Try Opera Rose. Maybe try Cobalt Blue, Transparent Orange). The paintings below show just how different two paintings can be even though they are made with the same four colors.
Purple Cows Moo Too, 7″ x 5″, watercolor on claybord, ©ElishaDasenbrock2015
Don’t Mess With My Lamb, 7″ x 5″, watercolor on claybord, ©ElishaDasenbrock2015
Previous palettes include her dirty palette: yellow ochre, brown madder, Prussian blue.
Current Palette: permanent alizarin crimson, quinacridone gold, french ultramarine
Dasenbrock focused on the figure and portrait while getting her BFA in watercolor, however, she now paints primarily animals. She still enjoys portraits and figure work, but animals allow her to explore a more playful side of her art.
She been in many shows, Morpho Gallery’s Up and Coming show, several Illinois Watercolor Society juried exhibitions, and a solo show at Flavor’s Cafe and Wine Bar to name a few.
Dasenbrock won Juror’s Choice at mySLart.org’s monthly 33 show in the summer of 2017.
She’s been featured on EmptyEasel.com, has hung her work at Flavor’s Cafe and Wine Bar in Breese, IL, Barnes and Noble, Nudge in Highland, IL, mySLart, Cafe Con Leche and The Bowery Art Gallery in Appalachicola, FL, Art On The Creeks in Rogers, AR, and hopefully your house.