About Me
The human figure was the first thing I ever fell in love with drawing: it was the perfect simplicity with which a single effortless line could capture all the tension and balance in a form, and the beauty of a single careless mark on paper that somehow suggested everything there was to know about the human body. I figured out early on that your own self was the easiest subject there was to draw because you were always available and always willing to sit for however long it took to finish the piece. I spent countless hours drawing my own face throughout school, and eventually began to explore the possibilities of full-figure self portraits.
A large portion of my recent work centers around a first-person perspective of my own body. This concept is something that is rarely seen in art, even though any second-person rendering automatically detaches both the artist and the viewer from the artist's true perspective. I am intrigued by ways of capturing the artist's perspective, in both the visual sense and the mental sense. Compositions based on everyday situations - taking a shower, putting on a sock - and on expressions of feeling - outstretching a hand to someone beyond the composition - convey a sense of living in my body to the viewer.
Another focus of my figural work is in capturing tension and strength. One of the aspects of figural artwork that fascinates me is the ability to evoke a very visceral sense of tension through the physical illustration of the body. Many of the positions that I find myself drawn to involve torquing, twisting, or stretching the body in ways that evoke the same acute sensations in the viewer's mind.
The other subject I’ve always been inspired by is nature and wildlife. Part of this intrigue centers around the same aspects that drive my fascination with the human body: the organic quality of the line and form, the way a single nuance in tension affects the entire body. Additionally, this work reveals my love for the outdoors and the natural world, and much of my recent work explores various ways of illustrating the vibrancy, simple purity, and charisma of the animal kingdom and its habitats.
One technique which I’ve been exploring to express both these areas of subject matter is blind contour, in which one draws looking entirely at the subject and never at the drawing surface. To me, this technique perfectly captures the organic and spontaneous quality of natural forms, and imparts a sense of motion and dynamism to the subjects.
Group shows (Portland, OR unless otherwise listed):
Face 2 Face
April 2011
Various group shows: Launchpad Gallery
January 2007-present
Three Faces: Wallflower Custom Framing (Seattle)
March 2010
Berbati's Restaurant
September 2009
Three Muses (group show with Julia Gfrorer and Lindsay DeArmond): Bamboo Grove Salon
August 2009
She's Crafty: FineGrind Art Cafe
April & May 2009
February 2009
Bark Art Benefit: Café Bean
August 2008
Love Show: Launchpad Gallery
February 2008
Bark Art Benefit: Goldrush Coffee Bar
April 2007
Solo shows (Portland, OR unless otherwise listed):
Berbati's Restaurant
January and February 2011
Captain Ankeny's Well
May 2010
In the Raw: Launchpad Gallery
March 2009
FaceBodySoul
December 2008
Star E. Rose
September 2008
Muddy’s Coffeehouse
May 2008
Hatch: Fuel Café
April 2008
Bridges Café
March-April 2008
Canta Pajarillo: Goldrush Coffee Bar
Feb. 2008
Other:
"Art in Hand: The Portland Project" playing card project, March 2010
Live painting at The Woods, October 2009
Mural at Bradley-Angle Women's Shelter, October 2009
Publication in "Ink-Filled Page" journal, Summer 2009
Organizer of both Bark Art Benefits
Evergreen Middle School Mail Art Project, Feb. 2008
Jewelry design, Portland street fairs, Summer/Fall 2006
Mural volunteer, Community Cycling Center, June 2006
Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art from Franklin and Marshall College, 2002
www.flickr.com/photos/elenacronin
Sites recommended by Elena: