Elsie and her husband John were very active in the American craft movement of the 1960s and 70s, especially the Tucson Craft Guild and Arizona Designer Craftsmen, an organization to which she was elected President in 1976. Elsie created wall-hangings, rugs, beads, and jewelry using a wide variety of mediums, including weaving, embroidery, soft fabric, feathers, metal, glass and faience; all “made on a sunny day in Tucson, Arizona.” From 1976-1980 she served as museum shop exhibit designer and receptionist at the Tucson Museum of Art.
Upon her husband’s death in 1980, Elsie put her art ambitions aside and became a successful real estate agent with Tucson Realty and Trust Co. We talk a lot about her jewelry in this website, but Elsie felt her most precious "jewels" were her children: Lisa, Connie, Susan and Allan. She proudly helped each child follow their passions and graduate from the University of Arizona; encouraging them to develop an eye for art, color, and design in their own lives.
Elsie’s dearest memories included the friendships she made in Christian Endeavor in North Bergen, New Jersey, the adventure of moving to Arizona in 1957, finding her soul mate in a young man from Massachusetts, raising her children, and watching them blossom. In Arizona she discovered Tucson’s craft community where she was nurtured to create art that was beautiful and useful, and where she in turn gave support to many young artists.
In 2003, Elsie moved to the Seattle-area and delighted in visiting with her grandchildren and watching them blossom too. She loved the Fall season the most, revelling in the shapes and colors of the turning leaves after spending 45 years in the less flamboyant Arizona desert. Other highlights of her Seattle years were her dinner with international glass artist Dale Chihuly and tour of his boathouse studio, and her continued passion for collecting beads and necklaces. Elsie passed away in 2008 at the age of 80. She was divine!
Upon her husband’s death in 1980, Elsie put her art ambitions aside and became a successful real estate agent with Tucson Realty and Trust Co. We talk a lot about her jewelry in this website, but Elsie felt her most precious "jewels" were her children: Lisa, Connie, Susan and Allan. She proudly helped each child follow their passions and graduate from the University of Arizona; encouraging them to develop an eye for art, color, and design in their own lives.
Elsie’s dearest memories included the friendships she made in Christian Endeavor in North Bergen, New Jersey, the adventure of moving to Arizona in 1957, finding her soul mate in a young man from Massachusetts, raising her children, and watching them blossom. In Arizona she discovered Tucson’s craft community where she was nurtured to create art that was beautiful and useful, and where she in turn gave support to many young artists.
In 2003, Elsie moved to the Seattle-area and delighted in visiting with her grandchildren and watching them blossom too. She loved the Fall season the most, revelling in the shapes and colors of the turning leaves after spending 45 years in the less flamboyant Arizona desert. Other highlights of her Seattle years were her dinner with international glass artist Dale Chihuly and tour of his boathouse studio, and her continued passion for collecting beads and necklaces. Elsie passed away in 2008 at the age of 80. She was divine!