Elaine Badgley Arnoux was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1926 and moved to Southern California when she was 11. She received an award to study at Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, and later moved to San Luis Obispo where she worked as a painter. In 1952 Badgley Arnoux co-founded the San Luis Obispo Art Association. In 1965, she and her family relocated to San Francisco where she continues to live and work.  Badgley Arnoux’s long and productive career as a painter and portraitist, teacher and activist reflects her extensive travel and residence abroad in Europe, Mexico and North Africa, which strengthened her dedication to people and social welfare. Her works are featured in the collections of numerous museums including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Achenbach Collection; Stanford University Library Special Collections, Stanford, CA; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; and the de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA.  She has done numerous commissions for public places, including a recent portrait for Openhouse, Community for LGBT Seniors, San Francisco.