Elie Vadakan was born in Long Beach, California and attended CSU Long Beach for her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specification in Drawing and Painting. After spending nearly a decade developing technical skills and experimenting with different traditional mediums, Vadakan discovered an affinity for charcoal. Charcoal becomes a crucial piece in her work, not only as a medium, but as a key in the storytelling. A principal theme in her work is looking at love and trauma as a plurality existing in everyday life and memories. The medium becomes a tool in representing the physical fragility of the memories and emotions represented in the work.  

Vadakan is currently based in Los Angeles.