Elnora, the youngest of seven children, has been a Prince George’s County, Maryland resident since having relocated from South Carolina with her family at the age of 10.

At Bowie State University, Elnora graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science degree in art education and additional post graduate course work at the Corcoran School of Art, Trinity College and Catholic University in Washington, D.C. 

As an educator for thirty years, Elnora touched the lives of thousands of children and adults in the Prince George’s County Public School System on the elementary, middle, high school and college levels.  As an art teacher, she instructed students in two and three dimensional art and coordinated shows and exhibitions of their work.  At Prince George’s Community College, Elnora taught water color painting in the Adult Continuing Education Program.  She has been a lecturer at Crossland High School in Camp Springs, Maryland and has been an art juror for the Prince George’s County Youth Art Program. 

Elnora’s abstract constructivism style of rich textural compositions is evident in her mixed media collages where she incorporates bold colorful fabrics, leather, oil pastels, water color, and occasionally pen and ink. The use of a variety of fabrics of varying texture to include hand-painted silk highlighted with beading, antique buttons and appliqués, lead the eye through the composition and simultaneously, give each piece a relief quality and a three dimensional effect.  The bold colors of the sometimes whimsical textile and painted images not only appeal to the sense of sight, but also provide great appeal to the sense of touch.   The physical size of her work adds to the colorful drama of each creation.

In the publication, “News” published by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, March 2007, Anita Pesses writes, “The expressive art is meticulously crafted with colorful palette of fabrics.  The artist is true to her belief that ‘the art should be full of surprises and not to be viewed one dimensionally.’”    

Elnora’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission in Riverdale, Maryland; Washington Suburban Sanitation Commission in Burtonsville, Maryland; Franklin’s Restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland; Bomani’s Gallery in Lanham, Maryland; Echo Gallery in Washington D.C.; Circle Gallery in Annapolis, Maryland, Quiet Water’s Gallery in Annapolis, Maryland and Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland.   Additionally, her work has been exhibited in various office buildings in Greenbelt, Maryland and at Columbia Union College of Nursing in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Professional memberships and volunteer services include: Maryland Federation of Artists, Hyattsville Artist Association, Prince George’s Artist Association, Montpelier Arts Center and Black Artists of D.C.