Elva grew up in Woodstock Ontario and attended an art school with expert teachers and an in-depth curriculum that encouraged a range of skills and talents. The introduction to a variety of mediums, techniques and concepts at an early age, to this day, inform her instincts as an artist. She studied commercial arts at Sheridan College. A few years after this education she realized she was a painter. She has been living in Toronto since 1982. While working as a freelance artist and raising two boys, High Park became an oasis of escape from a hectic life. The juxtaposition of nature in the heart of a noisy city found its way into her work. Working with fluid acrylics, she adds retarders and gells to keep the medium moving for as long as possible. The canvas is flipped, turned, tilted and often slammed to make the paint move a certain way. Slashes of solid paint occasionally interrupt the flow adding "almost random" affects of brush, reflections or shadows that appear and disappear in the texture of the scene.
This dynamic process is extremely physical work. Balancing the canvas while allowing the natural flow of paint to move with specific intention is a constant battle of wills. The process continually stretches her expectations and intentions, which must be as fluid and everchanging as the paint itself. Throughout this intense process, she strives to convey an intimate connection to the visual and physical experience of the world around her.