When observing a new year, Chinese families express well-wishes for good luck and abundance with the phrase, “Nian Nian You Yu,” roughly translated to mean “Let There Be Fish.” Having developed her artistic interest alongside the explosion of content creation and automatically generated images, Ellen questions what type of abundance truly nourishes a person by piecing together dreamlike scenes infused with her own human temperament.
Weaving in and out of reality, Ellen uses surreal humor to highlight the human capacity to feel, change, and empathize. The work often depicts spiritual reassurance found in common objects and settings. Ellen’s approach to material and narrative is inspired by playful intuition and studies in impressionist and post impressionist painting, which prioritized expression of both observed nature and the artist’s feeling about the present moment.
Oil paintings, sketches, and outdoor studies in alla prima technique.
