About Elena

Elena Miller is an abstract artist working primarily in encaustic, an ancient medium made of beeswax and damar resin. Her work is rooted in emotional expression and a deep connection to music and nature.

Originally from  Russia, Elena immigrated to Canada as a teenager. With limited English, she found refuge in the visual arts-drawing, photography, and sculpture became her language and her safe haven. Though she explored various career paths, creativity always called her back. Painting became not just a passion, but a vital form of self-expression and healing.

Elena's process begins with music. Each piece is born from a playlist that reflects her emotional state in the moment. As she prepares a birch panel, a particular song often emerges-one that anchors the piece and guides the flow. That connection to sound and rhythm helps Elena enter a state of creative "flow", allowing her intuitive gestures to take over. Her painting style is gestural abstraction, characterized by layered wax drips, pigment and shellac. Some surfaces are smooth and luminous, others are richly textured and tactile. Elena uses shellac burn technique in every painting, creating delicate, lace-like patterns that echo the organic veining of natural stone.

Each artwork is named after a song that resonated deeply with the process. The result is a work that feels emotional, spontaneous and alive-offering viewers a sense of depth, movement, and transformation. 

Elena's paintings are ethereal and raw, rich in visual and tactile texture, inviting a viewer to both see and feel their way through each piece.