About Elyse
Biography
Elyse Skye Ricketts, a Toronto-born artist, navigates the vibrant realms of oil and acrylic paint in her multidisciplinary artistic journey. Currently based in Vaughan, Ontario, she is immersed in her pursuit of a BFA in Drawing & Painting at OCAD University, where she also explores the intricate intersection of textiles through a minor in Material Art & Design. Through her canvas, she weaves a narrative that reflects on self autonomy and the challenges regarding self identity.
Her Work
Elyse Skye Ricketts (b.2003) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Vaughan, Ontario, currently pursuing a BFA in Drawing & Painting at OCAD University with a minor in Material Art & Design. Rooted in traditional oil painting, her work explores themes of femininity, mental health, sexuality, and the fluid transition from adolescence into adulthood. Elyse uses paint to express dreamlike imagery filled with metaphor and symbolism—softly expressed but deeply meaningful.
As a Black and Asian artist of Jamaican, Chinese, and Indian descent, she navigates a complex relationship with identity, often feeling at the crossroads of cultural belonging. This sense of in-betweenness informs her artistic practice, leading her to question societal expectations and the spaces she occupies. Elyse’s work is a reflection of self-discovery—both intimate and universal—inviting viewers into a world where the boundaries of identity, desire, and transformation blur.
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2021 - Ongoing BFA in Drawing & Painting, with minor in Material Art & Design
Department Faculty of Art
OCAD University, Toronto, ON
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 - Vices, a Pulse That Beats Louder Than Reason, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
2024 - Whispers of Home, ADA Slaight Gallery, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
2024 - Face Value, ADA Slaight Gallery, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
2024 - In My Body Through My Eyes, ADA Slaight Gallery, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
FREELANCE WORK
June 2024 - Sacred Spaces Gallery Installation, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
May - June 2024 - Undergraduate Research Assistant, Sacred Spaces Residency with Bahamian Artist Antonius Roberts, Ilena Sova OCAD University, Toronto, ON
ART FAIRS
2024 - Grad Ex MAAD Sale, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
2023 - Queen West Art Crawl Festival, Toronto, ON
PUBLICATIONS
March 2024 - INTRA-Personal [Reflective] Spaces, Social Space 2024 Student Press, OCAD University, Toronto, ON
COMMISSIONS
2023 - Private commission, Oil on 18 x 24 canvas, Vaughan, ON
2022 - Private commission, Acrylic on 16 x 20 canvas, Burlington, ON
2021 - Private commission, Oil on 16 x 20 canvas, Toronto, ON
2021 - Private commission, Oil and acrylic on 24 x 36 canvas, Vaughan, ON