Art medium(s): 1. 2D work incorporating leather stretched over wood panels, stones and objects. 2. Encaustic: to “burn in.” I use hot wax and wax mixed with pigments. 3. Etching, black and white prints produced one at a time in limited editions and hand colored.
How do you describe your art? My work is more illusionistic rather than strictly realistic. My themes are from the world around me. I garden a lot, both flowers and vegetables and I live next to a nature preserve which is both wild and intriguing. These are the subjects I draw from. I love to work from life as much as possible but nature moves fast, so pictures have to suffice.
Were you always interested in following a creative path? I have pursued a career as an artist and craftsperson from the very beginning, loving to draw from an early age. I started with encaustics at 11, sold my first painting at 12. I always say I am not really as good at anything else! Turtle Ridge, my gallery in Door County, is a brick and mortar establishment dedicated to marketing my work and those of highly skilled craftspeople. I opened my doors in 1986. In 2019, I added a gallery space dedicated to my artwork. Hopefully I have inspired others to follow their creative dreams. 
I feel that for me, my work is an expression of my perceptions of the world and I want to share this gift with others. When I am working, each new piece feels like jumping off a cliff, but after the start things flow and you understand the meaning of what you are doing.
What does your “day-in-the-life” look like? When I enter the studio to work, I usually research my subjects. If I paint a leopard frog, I want to know the amazing biological adaptations of this creature and this informs my work. I can’t spend just a few hours working, I need to immerse myself for a number of days in my process. It encompasses my complete focus.
One thing most people don’t know about being an artist, in your opinion: What people don’t realize about making your livelihood as an artist, is that it is a business. You spend years perfecting your skills. The exciting part is that you are always learning something new. But you had better become a marketer too.
What was the last book you read or movie you watched? I enjoy movies but books more—anything from a biography to some silly romance. Just read, “Fierce Ambition: The Life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins.”
Glass half empty or half full? The glass is full—up to the top.
What makes you happiest? Happiness is painting.
Find Mary Ellen at maryellensisulak.com, turtleridgegallery.com and on Facebook and Instagram under Mary Ellen Sisulak and Turtle Ridge Gallery.
