From the rugged landscapes of British Columbia to the vibrant streets of Los Angeles, Elyse Dodge has built a career transforming natural scenery into bold, geometric dreamscapes. A contemporary landscape artist and designer, Elyse reimagines familiar vistas as faceted, prismatic worlds that are at once structured and organic, vibrant and tranquil. Drawing on her Canadian roots and a lifelong immersion in art and craftsmanship, she invites viewers to experience their surroundings through a fresh, captivating lens, turning ordinary spaces into unforgettable destinations.
Where are you from originally and how long have you been here?
I was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. I have fond memories of summers spent boating on the lake, winters in the snow up on the ski hills and afternoons playing in the mountains behind my childhood home.
I moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago and now live in between Marina Del Rey and Mar Vista. We moved here with a 1 year old 6 months before Covid and the riots hit so our introduction to Los Angeles was an unusual one. It felt like we moved into a movie set. I recall driving down Abbot Kinney blvd with no one else on the road and seeing soldiers with machine guns, tanks and stores with boarded up windows. It was a surreal version of Los Angeles to see but also gave us the gift of time to explore the sights of Los Angeles, to see historical architecture and do road trips throughout California.
Your mother was an artist and your father a builder, how did their work shape your creative process today?
My parents had a big role to play in shaping my creative process. My mom taught me how to visually deconstruct the world around me into basic shapes and forms when I was learning how to draw. My father taught me how to quietly observe the world around me, forge my own path and think outside of the box. I was homeschooled for most of the elementary years and it helped instill an entrepreneurial spirit in both my brothers and I. The smarter and faster we worked the more time we had to pursue the things that interested us. Needless to say, I attribute a lot of my creative approach and outlook to my parents.
Your work transforms natural scenery into bold, geometric dreamscapes. How did you develop this signature style?
I was always drawn to landscapes and recreating the beauty and light found in nature. I moved to Vancouver in 2007 to study graphic design and event design at Langara College. I would decompress after long work days by painting the mountains and urban landscapes that I saw from my apartment in Vancouver. At one point I realized I could blend the two skills and create contemporary geometric forms on the computer and then paint them onto canvas. Slowly but surely friends and acquaintances started to commission paintings until I hardly had any time left for my day job working as an Art Director in the event industry. I painted my first geometric mountain for a friend in 2014 and here I am 11 years later still getting requests for more!
You’ve created murals, paintings, and installations around the world. Is there a project that has been particularly meaningful to you?
I think the light installations I created for the Amazing Brentwood mall took me the furthest out of my comfort zone so it's one of the most memorable projects. I worked with the Canadian company PARK on resurfacing the glass on the newly renovated mall with a colorful kaleidoscope of colors. The irony is that the project took place during the pandemic in Canada while I was heavily pregnant with my second and had a toddler at home so I was unable to travel to see it in person. These light installations were the largest scale projects I have worked on in one of the shortest amounts of time so it really pushed me to think outside the box, learn about new materials on the fly and adapt my artistic style to suit architecture.
Even though you’re based in Los Angeles now, how does your Canadian identity show up in your art or creative outlook?
That is a great question. I think the privilege of growing up in Canada is that the call to the outdoors and living the simple life runs deep in my veins. I love Los Angeles, it's a fascinating and beautiful place to call home but it can be shallow and noisy if you let it be. I think the Canadian in me keeps me grounded and inquisitive about the people, the culture and the scenery around me. Because I am Canadian, I can see Los Angeles from a unique perspective. I can narrow in on the natural beauty that reminds me of home, I can appreciate the unique flora that can only grow in sunny California and I can pick up on the warm color palettes that you don’t see back in Canada.
What do you miss most about Canada, and what do you love most about working internationally?
I really miss the access to the water, the mountains and the wilderness in British Columbia. It’s so easy to take it for granted when you live there but I like to think that if I moved back I would be floating in the lake or ocean every day. I also miss the little weekend adventures taking ferries to the islands or roadtripping up to the mountains or wine country. I miss living a more simple life (but that might also be a result of now having 3 kids). I also miss my family and friends a lot. Thanks to immigration challenges, it's been a lot more complicated than we expected to travel back and forth to Canada.
It's such a simple answer. I love the sunshine. I think I suffered from seasonal depression when I lived in Vancouver. I remember fearing when November would come around because it meant 6 months of doom and gloom and going to work in the dark just to return home in the dark (and likely rain). I almost never look at the weather forecast now that I live in Los Angeles. As an artist there are also so many more opportunities with bigger clients as well. There is enough pie to go around for everyone and enough likeminded creatives to cross paths or collaborate with.
What’s next for you in your artistic journey? Any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
I am currently finishing up a commissioned painting of Scotland for a client and sending a mock for a mural in Victoria, BC. I have a few proposals that I am waiting to hear back on, one of which would be a dream collaboration here in California. I am looking for more public art installations and brand collaborations these days so if you think we would be a fit hit me up hola@elysedodge.com
