Printmaker Elise Morissette on nature, science, and community

Meet Elise Morissette, a printmaker, illustrator, and educator whose work brings together art, science, and the natural world. Working primarily with foraged plants and copper, Elise transforms her observations of nature into detailed intaglio prints, capturing the unique forms and textures of the plants she encounters. Her current body of work takes that curiosity underwater, exploring tide pools and oceanic biology as she challenges herself to discover a world beyond the woods she knows so well. For Elise, art is not only a way of observing and communicating the natural world. It is also a way of connecting with others, sharing experiences, and building community through a life giving, creative practice.

What materials do you work with?

I am a printmaker, focusing on foraged plants on copper. I take the plants for local spots that I explore, press them into shapes to show off their traits, and then make impressions of them into copper. Once their impressions are captured, I dip that copper into acid and take prints from the etched copper.

Tell us about your current body of work. What motivated it?  

My current body of work explores diving into tidepools and discovering oceanic biology. I challenge myself to learn and understand these botanicals since I am more familiar with the woods.

Do you work full-time as an artist or do you wear other hats?

I wear other hats as a full time picture framer, and teach art part time at my printing studio and as a specialized art teacher for workshops and pop ups.

How do you integrate art into your life and other responsibilities? 

Art is truly my everyday life! I serve other artists as they find their way into galleries or vending opportunities. I love teaching art and watching that spark as somebody discovers the joy of creation. And most importantly I love being surrounded by other artists, celebrating their creative practices and new endeavors. I especially experience that as I serve the Art Commission for the city of Dover, NH

How has your art practice evolved over the years? 

The biggest evolution of my work is that I really thought I would go into medical illustration, studying and researching human anatomy. But as I fell in love with teaching, I really sparked with science communication and sharing the natural world in common space in a way that is very accessible to people.

What or who inspires you? 

I am most inspired by other printmakers. We are a very specialized group of people, and we are very process heavy in our creative practice. So meeting up with other printers and talking shop, methods, or even the design choice behind our prints makes me starry eyed.

Who are some of your favorite artists?  

I love impressionist artists like Edgar Degas, or art nouveau like Alphonse Mocha, or other scientific illustrations like Frank Netter.

How is community important to you as a practicing artist? 

Community is HUGE for me. I not only lean on my community to get excited or inspire me about my next series of work. But I also make space to elevate other artists so they feel like they belong and help them feel seen.

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?  

Like other growing pains in being an artist, the cost of supplies. I am pretty good about reusing and recycling in my work, especially with my copper and how quickly I go through paper. But if I am building up my practice and expanding to better equipment, it is just managing on pacing myself so I don’t expand too quickly.

What are your goals for the future?

My major goal is to 1) to continue to expand my regions of display. I work very hard to show my work in a variety of places. And then 2) I am currently expanding to do letterpress work and bookmaking again. I am very excited to see what happens as I start practicing that more.

Where can people find and connect with you (in person or online):

• Instagram as @serotonin_studio
• Email: elisejmorissette@gmail.com (best form of contact).
• Website: elisejmorissette.com (it is in the middle of being updated!)

Elise is also part of Rolling River Printmakers of New England, an all-volunteer organization founded in 2023 by Executive Director Cara Gonier with a mission to support living printmakers and expand public understanding of the history, process, and relevance of printmaking today. We’re excited to have Elise’s on view at Groundwork Art Space through the end of September 2026. We invite you to stop in, take your time exploring the exhibition through a self-guided tour.

The exhibition is free and open to the public during Groundwork’s staffed hours, Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–2:00 PM.