Ellen Brook

Artist Statement:

I have long felt a kinship with textiles, color and design, which is perhaps why I resonate so strongly with silk as a medium for painting. For me, the process is more important than any image or concept; I am an intuitive painter, inclined toward exploring color and composition in the moment, challenging existing notions of what is possible on silk, and applying classic techniques in fresh ways. The medium is unpredictable - the dye moves quickly and blends in unexpected ways. With dye, resist, alcohol, acrylic and a blow dryer (!), I work quickly and spontaneously. As such, I typically forego the conventional way of delineating shapes, aiming more for beautiful and capricious effects than holding tightly to form. Like photography, I allow the painting to reveal itself at just the right moment; unlike many media, there's no turning back.

My desire is to unleash an organic beauty --- the imperfectly perfect beauty of the wabi-sabi sort; I feel most satisfied when my paintings evoke a sense of peace and warmth. I also aim to express the whimsical and magical a moment apart from our ordinary lives. The way silk conveys color, luminosity and movement adds to that communication.