Elyse Defoor is a multidisciplinary artist who is inspired by a person’s connection to their inner spirit and unconscious world. From this passionate inspiration, she produces artwork that can be both bold and mysterious. Her drawings, paintings, photography and large scale installations have gained international recognition and national exposure. In 2008, Defoor’s series “X.U.ME” was presented as a solo exhibition at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Louisiana. X.U.ME is Defoor’s visual response to having seen the Xs marked across the New Orleans landscape after Hurricane Katrina, and was initially developed during her month long residency at Hambidge Arts in 2006. X.U.ME was featured at the Spruill Gallery, Atlanta in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of Katrina in August 2010. In addition to an interview with NBC om “Weekend Today”, a PBS special was created in October, 2010 about Defoor and X.U.ME. In February 2010, Defoor’s solo exhibit at the Wm Turner Gallery in Atlanta introduced “Via Dorso: Sonnets to Unguarded Moments” to critical acclaim. ArtsCriticATL reviewer Jerry Cullum described Defoor’s exhibit as “classicism becomes contemporary” and “the combination of tradition and innovation is mesmerizing.” Defoor’s past experience as an environmental graphic designer brings a wealth of knowledge of materials, production techniques, and project coordination to her exhibitions and public art installations. In September 2011, Defoor’s “one million thoughts of joy” digital installation premiered, and was seen by over 1,750,000 viewers in downtown Atlanta. In March 2012, Defoor suspended 23 wedding dresses in an outdoor location in Castleberry Hill. This unpublicized installation marked the second phase of “Relics of Marriage” which initially began as photographic portraiture of previously worn wedding dresses hanging from a single chain in her studio. An indoor mixed-media installation of Relics of Marriage exhibited in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography 2012 at The Arts Exchange in Atlanta. Due to popular demand, Defoor recently completed the first version of the Relics of Marriage art photography book in which she paired the portraits with statements—ranging from biting to poignant to sugary sweet—given primarily by the dresses’ owners. Copies of this special edition accompanied a selection of large scale framed prints from the Relics series for her inaugural solo New York exhibition at Umbrella Arts Gallery in New York City, April – June 2015. In March 2015, Defoor began “Exposed”, a series of mixed media drawings, and was invited to be one of twelve artists to participate in “The Drawing Experiment” at the Chastain Art Gallery in Atlanta, July 17 – September 12, 2015. Elyse Defoor lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.