Ellen R. Brooks; Tethered and Jeff Dion; Figurative Paintings and Drawings.
Ellen grew up in and around the Wissahickon area and much of her beautiful work relates to the beauty and history of the area, including the indigenous populations and their rich traditions. Because of her love for the area and her deep connection with nature, she is constantly drawn back to her deeply tethered roots.
Besides the work of Ellen, we will be featuring some drawings and paintings of Philadelphia artist, Jeff Dion and well as a collection of works of various mediums by local artists. This work all relates in some fashion to The Wissahickon.
Jeff Dion studied at University of the Arts in Philadelphia and teaches at Moore College of Art and Design.
Ellen R Brooks is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, MFA ’09, Certificate ’90. Additional undergraduate studies: The University of The Arts in Philadelphia, PA, Montgomery County Community College and Ballynakill Studios in Connemara, Ireland.
Brooks has received residency and grants awards from: The Pennsylvania Council on The Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The School District of Philadelphia, and Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, PA and The Burren College of Art in County Claire, Ireland. Brooks is currently Fine Arts Department Chair at Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland, PA.
Brooks has exhibited in numerous juried and invitational shows. Her work is included in public, corporate and private collections throughout the United States, Ireland and Germany.
STATEMENT
I approach making art as an intuitive process. I begin, through exploration, to build a bridge between my self and the materials. That bridge becomes a window from which a form or image starts to emerge. The window, in turn, provides a mirror into the intuitive source of self that moves my work. The creative process takes over, holding me in a place of perpetual possibilities wherein my choices inform the work, and through its revelations, the work informs me. The work of art is ultimately born in the separation between my self and the material.
