“Union Street Bridge, Fall Afternoon,” oil on panel, 12″x12″
“Purple and Blue Awnings on Smith Street, ” oil on canvas, 12″x16″
“Yellow Truck in Gowanus,” oil on canvas, 9″x12″
Artist Statement
I am mostly a self-taught artist, working primarily “en plein air” when the weather permits. I also occasionally work from sketches and photos, but only of places where I’ve actually been. Painting on-site, from life, comes with its challenges (wind, heat, cold, overly chatty passers-by, bugs flying into wet paint on the canvas), thrills (light hitting a brick wall a special way, gorgeous water reflections), and joys (connecting with a location’s unique features and being able to capture that moment). But mostly it requires an intense focus. When it’s all working well, painting can be a form of highly active meditation.
My goal is to find a simple way to capture the spirit of a scene at a particular instance. Inevitably the paintings become infused with my own wonder and delight at having discovered something – a pattern, a gesture, an angle of light – that is inherently pleasing. At best my paintings pay tribute to the abundant benefits of attentiveness.
Artist Website
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Lovely stuff, Ella. I’ve never seen the Gowanus Canal look so picturesque!
Keep up the good work.