FEATURED ARTIST OF THE MONTH 2014
Ellen Zucker
Ellen Zucker’s paintings come from an introspective between the paint, the picture plane and her intuition. Though largely abstract works, the presence of a figure can be detected in some of her paintings and sensed in others. Built up layers of paint and pentimenti add visual depth while the odd sharp contrast or hard line emerges from the subtly shifting color and adds a nervous tension to the works.
Zucker has recently participated in group shows at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ ConVerge, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley, Firehouse Art Collective and Berkeley Art Center.
Artist Statement
"I am drawn to mystery, to the unknowable, to the place before words. Cause and effect don’t answer my questions. I cannot fathom birth, death, breathing, love, forever, sunshine, an ocean, an elm tree, a woman crying in pain, a child shrieking with glee...
Without knowing what or why, I am engaged for hours on end. No reason why I paint, no reason why this mark and not that one, no reason why the human form today or the feel of the sea tomorrow. Just the mysterious pull to have brush, rag, stick, knife dipped in color, to say no to one mark and yes to another. On a bad day I can’t tolerate not knowing what I’m doing; on a good day that mysterious uncertainty seems like life itself.
Since I'm not sure how I arrived at this wordless intersection of inner and outer experience, I can only hope that I get to stay for a long time to come."
Lost My Head Again, 2014, acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Cross Currents, 2014, acrylic and mixed media on canvas
Centrifugal Force, 2014, acrylic on canvas