Elise Campbell
Elise Campbell is a noteworthy textile artist and educator based in Stillwater Lake, near Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia, who uses wool and other natural fibres to create sculptural art that reflects nature’s transient beauty and its enduring resilience. Working primarily with wool, silk, and other natural fibres, Elise creates sculptural pieces that transcend traditional craft boundaries; by pushing the limits of her medium she gracefully explores contemporary connections through texture, surface design, and form.
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Raised on the Pacific Ocean and living by the Atlantic Ocean, Campbell draws inspiration from land and sea to reflect narratives of ecological movement and the delicate balance between humanity and the natural world. Her practice resonates with motion through both her creative process and her finished pieces: motion can be a conscious choice or a force of nature, always effecting change. Through the process of felting 3D sculptures and the handmade fabric in which to adorn them, Campbell uses repetitive movement to build her pieces.
Campbell’s sculptures aim to elevate wool as a medium through powerful imagery and education about sustainability. Drawn to the power and beauty of water and its ability to both sustain and snuff out life, Campbell’s roots of merchant seafarers and homesteaders comes through her family history of immigration from London, England. Her maternal Grandfather was a functional fibre artist—sheep to sweater creative—and travelled from the UK to Canada, bringing his practical talents across the Atlantic.
Campbell’s work and creative research, including an international felting study and several artist residencies, have been supported by grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and The Robert Pope Foundation. She has received awards and invitations from art galleries across Canada and travels throughout the Atlantic provinces and around the world, teaching, speaking and inspiring others through her art practice. Her art is included in various private and provincial collections, contributing to ongoing conversations about nature, community, and craft.
