Elisabeth Ladwig is an award-winning photographic artist living in the Hudson Valley. Her artistic career began as a graphic artist in the NYC music industry, which presented the opportunity for her to create designs for recording artists like Liza Minnelli, Barry Manilow, Patrick Stewart and more, for Broadway shows, and for major motion pictures. She loved the process of combining all the pieces of the puzzle – graphic elements, typography, and photographs, balancing color, space, and contrast, and presenting them in a single, cohesively designed package. Similarly, experimenting with collage art was an unsurprising source of enjoyment, when from this a much larger branch grew in the form of using her own photographs. Elisabeth later moved farther from the City, where she has felt much more at home surrounded by Nature. Abundant woodlands and water sources offer endless inspiration to her multi-layered creative process. Her current work explores modern surrealism, combining multiple photographs for seamlessly blended imagery. Once an idea is born in her sketchbook, she gathers the photos needed to create it. Shoots in her studio capture the subject and other staged elements, while other photographs are taken on her travels and dedicated field trips. Elisabeth is always on the lookout for interesting props and vintage costumes, and may handcraft part of a scene when the image calls for it. Elisabeth’s process is variable and spiritually instinctive; often, an image is well on its way or completed before she fully understands its message, and that meaning may vary from one viewing to the next. All of her scenes have a strong natural connection, set completely or partially outdoors, often with an anonymous subject. “Anonymity allows the viewer to take part in writing the story,” she says, “and that story is going to be different for everyone.” Her work has appeared in venues from Scottsdale to Rome, on magazine covers, and on digital displays in Times Square and at the Louvre. Noteworthy acquisitions include:Sheila Nevins, Documentary Film Producer MTV/HBO, Winner of 32 Primetime Emmy Awards and 26 Academy AwardsLisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, Senior Executive Producer at Extra TV, 8-time nominated and 2-time Emmy Award WinnerUniversity Health Women’s & Children’s Hospital, San Antonio, TX, Permanent Collection