Meet Elaine

The short story

Hey, I’m Elaine.

As an artist, guided by intuition, I weave my graphic design expertise with my experience as a transformational guide to create art that inspires and connects you to your heart and soul.

The longer story

I was so eager to start experiencing life, I was almost born in a hospital elevator on a cold winter night in upstate New York. My enthusiasm for life and passion for art have always been interconnected. As a toddler, I would borrow crayons from one of my six siblings to create my childhood masterpieces.

As a teenager, I took art lessons, and that’s when I was introduced to the world of painting. I switched from oils to watercolors when I grew tired of waiting for the oil paint to dry.

During my college years, I spent time in Amish country while earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Despite earning my degree, I never got a ride in an Amish buggy.

Warmer weather and Southern hospitality eventually drew me to Atlanta, where I opened my own graphic design studio. The vibrant culture and climate kept me there for many years, but my painting journey was a more sporadic one, with long stretches of time spent away from a paintbrush.

I started painting again when I was diagnosed as celiac in 2007, when my relationship with fresh fruits and vegetables changed. I saw healthy food in a whole new light and found reverence for them that I hadn’t had before. I painted the beauty and spirit of the food as works of art, earning me numerous art awards.

Things eventually evolved into a kids’ cookbook called Fun Foodie Friends, where fun is the first ingredient in helping you make friends with your fruits and vegetables. But then life took an unexpected turn, and I set down my paintbrush once more.

I’ve always been creative. I’ve always been a designer. And I’ve always been intuitive—though I didn’t recognize or embrace that gift until a pivotal moment. One day, following a nudge from the Universe, I saved a client’s employee from drowning in their private lake in the middle of nowhere. I nearly drowned in the process. (You can read more about that here.)

That life-changing experience forced me to confront and heal parts of myself I had long ignored. I realized that the qualities I had disowned in myself—my intuition, my courage, my deep empathy—were actually my superpowers.

That moment became a turning point in my life. It was the catalyst for deep healing and redefined my journey to encompass more than art and design. I now also work as a transformational guide to help others reclaim their own superpowers, connect with what lights them up, and rewrite their story.

The past few years have been profoundly transformative—marked by pain and a series of life’s challenges—but they’ve also allowed me to alchemize the gold from them into something meaningful, gain new insights, and connect with my heart and soul on a deeper level.

Heart Art Expressions emerged from this healing journey, born from a willingness to surrender and embrace a new path in art and spiritual connection, and pick up my paintbrush again with renewed purpose. (You can read the full story here.)

Today, I’m honored that my art has found homes around the world. Contact me to bring a piece of my work into yours!