Eleftheria Easley
NOVA-based collage artist Eleftheria Easley has created mixed media works since occupying her first studio space, a high chair piled with her family’s drafting tools and sewing notions. This formative environment fostered her resourcefulness and exploration of papers and textiles, such as architectural design chroma paper and fabric scraps, as raw materials for making art. Her representational, patterned, and abstract pieces unlock the beauty and limitless potential of juxtaposed items and invite the viewer to share a connection through the materials and the associations they evoke.
Earning her BFA in Graphic Design at Boston University, Eleftheria has lived in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In addition to exhibiting, she teaches workshops and supports local galleries with curation, installation, and staffing. Recently, her work was selected for the fall 2025 issue of Fiber Art Now’s Paper Made II international competition and the on-site exhibition at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, WMATA Rosslyn Metro Station beautification efforts, and a solo show at the mosaicARTS Gallery. Her work was also reviewed by Mark Jenkins at the Washington Post for Alliance Gallery’s inaugural exhibit Ad Astra Per Aspera, and she represented the Artists’ Undertaking Gallery on the PBS/WETA television show If You Lived Here. She is a member of arts organizations including the Arlington Artists Alliance and Torpedo Factory Art League Gallery, as well as the global network Women United Art Movement.
Contact
Website
eecreativeexpressions@gmail.com
Instagram
Interview
What inspires your art practice and keeps you motivated?
Cultural exchange inspires me because I believe that when we absorb the influence of a particular experience, we also leave an imprint. The purpose of my work is to promote connectivity with the viewer by offering unexpectedly recognizable materials within my art, and my mechanism is storytelling through mixed media collage. I see the world as a place where individual parts are invaluable contributors to cohesive wholeness, and collage art is a natural extension of that.
How does your mission as an artist influence the work you create?
I am a treasure hunter and storyteller with a passion for finding the common threads between materials, cultures, places, and timeframes. My extensive collection of mixed media supplies is a playground where I curate the visual ties between unrelated items and discern the storylines that bring them together. Each project begins as a space to facilitate surprising combinations that somehow belong together. At once deeply personal and widely relatable, my art invites the viewer into a world that resonates with possibility and discovery.
Can you share a key part of your creative process that helps you stay focused?
Collecting modern, vintage, and antique supplies is a treasure hunt through daily life, encompassing simple moments and diverse places. I merge papers, textiles, and found items from around the world by cutting and shaping them to reveal the observable links that dynamically join and contrast them. I up-cycle ephemera alongside artisan materials, promoting sustainability and the use of otherwise overlooked treasures, so that the potential of each item can be reimagined within a new context while also reducing waste.
What mindset tip do you rely on to overcome challenges in your art career?
Continue to learn, play, and stay true to your purpose. An art career is a long game that takes time, so take your time. It can be easy to feel pressured to do too much, too soon, but the truth is that we don’t have to do all the things, all at once, all the time. It’s okay to prioritize certain projects and tasks over others. It’s also okay to pivot and adjust what you need to focus on in any given season. Do whatever fuels your creativity, and chances are it will not only benefit you but also encourage others to do the same.
How do you hope your art impacts the world or your community?
I explore the ideas of identity and home in the collection of my materials and within my body of work because I have served in many roles where I have had to build bridges or be the bridge between communities. Items with a history add discernible richness to the imagery, depth to its meaning, and underscore our human need to belong and be seen. I aspire to give my materials a new life within any given piece and the work a new home where it is valued and appreciated. More importantly, I hope to engage the viewer with discoveries of their own that spark wonder, recognition, and a sense of connection to the world at large.
