Elisa Palchetti · Multidisciplinary Artist
Twenty paintings. One unbroken journey from shadow to light.
Enter the Collection— The Artist —
Painter · Children's Book Illustrator · Former Fashion Designer · Folsom, CA
“Beyond the Surface is a multi-sensory exploration of what remains hidden until we choose to look closer.”
Born in Florence, Italy, Elisa Palchetti trained her eye in fashion — designing for independent labels in Italy, then for Next UK in Portugal, then as Head Designer for casual wear at Arden B in the United States. She then moved to Mexico, where her first solo exhibition Ámame o Mátame sold out just before the Covid lockdown.
Through paintings created from reclaimed and found materials, Elisa invites viewers into a narrative arc that moves from struggle to sovereignty. Each painting explores the invisible terrain we all inhabit: the grip of trauma, the sacredness of motherhood, and the quiet power of choosing differently. Under shifting lights, the paintings transform. Words emerge. Meaning deepens.
Healing is not linear. It reveals itself in layers.
Artist Statement
I paint because some truths are too large for words alone.
My work merges fluid art with metamorphic portraiture. It begins where language ends — in the space between what people show the world and what they carry underneath. I am drawn to the stories people hold in silence: grief that has no name, joy that survived impossible odds, love that outlasted loss. These are the stories I paint.
Growing up between Florence and the world of fashion, I learned early that surfaces are carefully constructed. What we wear, how we present ourselves — it is armor as much as expression. Painting became my way of looking past that armor, of honoring what lives beneath. The name Beyond the Surface is not a concept. It is a conviction.
This belief shapes even my materials. I paint on reclaimed and discarded surfaces — found objects that others have set aside — because I know that what appears worn or forgotten often holds the most life. And I work extensively with UV-reactive pigments, because I am fascinated by what light reveals. Under ordinary light, a painting tells one story. Under ultraviolet light, hidden layers emerge — colors that were always there, waiting. It is the most honest metaphor I know for what human beings are: multidimensional, luminous in ways that are not always visible.
Healing is at the center of everything I make. Not healing as resolution, but healing as movement — the slow, brave passage from shadow into light.
I paint so that people feel witnessed. Fully. Beyond the surface.
— Elisa Debora Palchetti
The Collection
Pioneering the fusion of fluid art and portrait painting, recycled materials, and UV-reactive, glow-in-the-dark elements. Under shifting light, the paintings transform — words emerge, meaning deepens.
— Where Fashion Meets Introspection —
“Wear your Story. Own your Power.”
The fashion and accessories in this collection are more than objects — they are tools. Hand-painted with liquid art and motivational text, each piece demonstrates how we can embody our breakthroughs and carry transformation into the world.
— Design Boards —
Three looks. Three paintings. One wearable world.
— The Full Collection Is On Its Way —
Twenty garments.
One for each painting.
Each one still becoming.
— The Book Series —
Books that give children the tools to know themselves.
Growing up without the tools to understand herself and her relationships, Elisa wrote the books she wished she had been given. Each story is designed to help children — and the parents who read alongside them — build a healthy relationship with themselves and others. Not as an abstract idea. As something you can feel, practice, and carry with you.
Learning to let emotions move through the body without judgment — and discovering they always pass.
Coming Soon
An exploration of identity, self-knowledge, and what it means to truly know yourself — beyond what the world tells you.
Coming Soon
Each book carries hidden words and images — visible only under UV light.
Because sometimes the most important things are felt before they are seen.
— Your Story, Painted —
Every life carries a story that deserves to be seen. Not summarized. Not simplified. Seen.
This is an invitation to sit with Elisa, to speak the truth of what you have lived — the weight you have carried, the moment something shifted, what you learned when you came out the other side. She listens not just with her ears, but with her eyes. And it is in that moment of honest telling — when the words stop and the soul speaks — that she captures you. Not as you appear. As you are.
The result is a hand-painted portrait using her signature technique: an oil portrait of your face, set against a fluid art background alive with UV-reactive and glow-in-the-dark pigments.
Some portraits are painted to keep someone alive in a room.
— Begin Your Portrait —
Every portrait starts with a conversation. Share a little about yourself and Elisa will be in touch to begin.
— Your Portrait, Every Day —
Your portrait does not have to live only on a wall. Your story — or the story of someone you love, a pet you have lost, a moment that changed you — can travel with you into every ordinary moment of every day.
Pets & People
Elisa paints people and the animals they love with equal depth and tenderness. A pet portrait is not just a likeness — it is a memorial, a celebration, a way of holding onto what cannot be held.
One client asked for her beloved dog on a coffee cup. Now that dog travels with her to work every morning.
Your Portrait On
Start with the portrait. Then choose how to carry it.
Every item begins with a commissioned portrait by Elisa. Inquire below to start the conversation.
Inquire Now— Collaborative Work —
When two artistic visions meet without ego, something greater than either can create alone emerges.
Rooted Duality — a portrait of a Native American elder painted by Elisa, set against JM Knudsen's bold red symbolic markings — is a meditation on ancestry, identity, and the wisdom carried across generations. Under ambient light, the elder's face commands presence. Under UV, the feathers ignite in teal and the markings pulse with energy. In total darkness, only the headdress glows — a crown of light emerging from the black, honoring what endures.
— The Immersive Show —
Beyond The Surface is designed as an experiential art exhibition engaging all five senses, creating a psychological loop that guides visitors from trauma to transformation.
The five senses are not simply a design choice — they are a grounding practice. When we deliberately engage sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent, we anchor ourselves in the present moment. This is the foundation of the exhibition: that presence itself is the beginning of healing. To feel where you are is to stop living in what was. To notice what surrounds you is to return to who you are.
The Vision
Twenty anchor paintings, matching art-couture garments, transformed accessories. Rooms shift from ambient to UV blacklight to total darkness — revealing hidden layers, stenciled words, and glowing fluid art simultaneously on canvas and cloth.
The Auditory
An original score — curated directional soundscapes with custom frequencies, instrumental shifts, and raw vocal narration tied to each chapter of the arc.
The Tactile
This is not a "do not touch" gallery. Visitors feel rough recycled metal edges, iridescent vinyl, raised crackled acrylic layers — the work made physical, textured surfaces made to be felt.
A Moment of Presence
Let a Beyond the Surface candy dissolve slowly on your tongue. As the color fades and the sweetness lingers, let it remind you — you are here, fully present, in this moment, dissolving on the tongue like a breakthrough.
The Aroma
A custom fragrance — ambient aromatherapy per zone: grounding, smoky, woodsy in the struggle; uplifting, crisp, and botanical as sovereignty is reclaimed.
Limited Editions
Every print is a signed, numbered edition — a piece of the journey you can bring into your space. Available in three formats, each one carrying the same energy as the original.
Edition I
Museum-quality archival pigment print on heavyweight cotton rag paper. Hand-signed and numbered by Elisa. Limited to 20 per painting.
InquireMost Unique
Edition II
Printed with UV reactive inks — looks stunning in daylight, then transforms completely under blacklight. The painting reveals its hidden layer. Limited to 10 per painting.
InquireEdition III
Phosphorescent print that charges from ambient light and glows for hours in complete darkness. No blacklight needed. Limited to 10 per painting.
InquireAll prints come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Elisa Palchetti.
To inquire about a specific painting, edition, or custom size — use the contact form below.
— Contact & Inquire —
For acquisition inquiries, exhibition opportunities, commissioned portraits, or potential collaborations — reach out directly or fill out the form below.
[email protected]— Send a Message —
Whether it is an acquisition, an exhibition, or simply a question — write to Elisa directly using the form below.
