Elisa Nadzieja, a native of New York City, studied fine arts at the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) before returning to New York to continue her education at Hunter College. There, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, combining a strong scientific foundation with her lifelong commitment to the arts.

In 1988, she entered the medical field as a clinical microbiologist, initially working at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City before advancing to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in 1997, all while simultaneously pursuing her artistic journey. Her biomorphic abstractions have been exhibited in galleries nationwide. Elisa currently resides in St. Augustine, Florida, where she continues her career as a microbiologist while maintaining her art studio.

Her artwork is primarily created with watercolor, emphasizing spontaneity and organic forms. She uses the fluid nature of watercolor to allow unexpected patterns to emerge and guide the final composition, often drawing inspiration from subconscious movement and natural biological forms.