Elaine Waterman
Longmont, CO
Elaine Waterman is a NYC born, Longmont based artist, educator, community facilitator and arts administrator. She has been involved in arts education and programming for over 10 years, working with various institutions to raise cultural awareness and understanding of the arts within the community. Elaine's passion for the arts is evident in her leadership role at The Firehouse Art Center, where she aims to continue the organization's commitment to inclusion, education, and innovation. Her educational background includes degrees from William and Mary, CU Boulder, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Elaine's artistic pursuits reflect her creative spirit, as she draws from her studies in Fashion Design, Art History, and Fine Art, often inspired by myths, religion, fantasy, and the beauty found in discarded objects. Her work is characterized by its exploration of interpersonal relationships and the uncomfortable aspects of human interactions.
May 2026 Artist Spotlight Q&A:
Q: What first drew you to your creative practice?
A: I have always been drawn to being a creator as opposed to a consumer. Even as a little kid, I would rather make what I imagined as opposed to purchase it. That way you could make it however you wanted. I was definitely a kid that was a dreamer with an active imagination, so I had a neverending supply of weird things to make. My first love was fashion though, since my grandmother made a lot of our outfits, and I learned to sew at a young age. I designed my wedding dress a million times over and I ended up going to the Fashion Institute of Technology for Fashion Design after getting a degree from William and Mary in 3D design and Sculpture.
Q: Walk us through your creative process—from initial idea to finished piece?
A: I don't get to create too much since I am busy at the Firehouse, but there are times where I have an idea that MUST be executed. I rarely sketch out my ideas, and I prefer to sketch onto the piece and let the piece evolve. I have worked with amazing artists that use sketchbooks to develop an idea and it seems very logical when they explain it. But I am really just a play around and find out kind of artist. I think it also makes me a little less precious about my art- I never feel like I mess anything up, since it is always an opportunity to take what I learned from that iteration and make it better the next time. I love dabbling in different mediums, so it is a constant discovery on how to create what is in my head, and what I can get away with as far as asking new mediums to comply with that vision.
Q: What themes, stories, or questions tend to show up consistently in your work?
A: I also received a BA in English Literature from William and Mary so stories and mythology play a large part in my art. I love interpreting Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology with a modern spin, or also developing lore to go with my characters. I want the work to be an entry point for the viewers to imagine the rest of the story, and there are always hidden meanings within the work.
Q: How does your environment or community influence what you create?
A: Since my main medium right now is spreadsheets for the Firehouse, it takes a strong idea to make me get the art supplies out and commit to making the piece. For that reason, most of my work is actually driven by what is going on in the world. When I am passionate about something that needs to change for the better in the community, that is what drives the ideas. I also feel that art has a way of motivating others to action, through confronting the viewer with something thought provoking. Sometimes it takes seeing something from a different point of view to change your mind, or open your eyes, or shift you into a new understanding. For the community influence, I feel like we have such a great creative community- where everyone works from a place of generous collaboration. I have been able to create with the most creative people, the most passionate people, and the weirdest and quirkiest people- and it really fuels the creativity within me. I like to say my defining characteristics are curiosity and generosity- and I love being in a community that supports my attitude of "let's see what happens if we do this," as well as "how can you and I help to make this happen"
Q: What do you hope people feel, notice, or take away when they experience your work?
A: I want people to experience my work and know that it is just the surface. That there is a story behind it, and sometimes the story is 10 levels deep. Sure, I can paint something pretty, but I never just do that, (to the chagrin of my husband who struggles to hang the work in the house because sometimes it is too weird or dark). I want it to catch you off guard, to unsettle you, or to make you want to go deeper. Sometimes that is a hard position to marry with creating work that is mass appealing and sale-able, but I hope that when someone buys my work it is because they connect with it on a deeper level versus they think it will go well with their current wall color.