Featured Artist Ellen Woods

Artist Ellen Woods presents a colorful collection of abstract works inspired by forays into nature and the inner mind. See more of her portfolio by visiting her website.

 

 

I am an artist, psychotherapist and educator living at high altitude in the Colorado Rockies. I divide my time between such activities as making art in my studio, seeing clients and teaching innovative classes. Two of these classes that I enjoy teaching currently are Find Your Creative Spirit and Intuitive Painting.

 

 

My morning begins by spending time outdoors with my trusty companion, Jasper, sensing the environment that surrounds me. I notice the weather, the year round snowcapped mountains, the movement of the grasses and trees and the sounds of nature. I hear birds, rustling of leaves, the unpredictable movement of deer, rabbits and even a bear in the tall grasses and clustered trees!

 

 

Next, I move indoors to focus inwards through meditation. Quieting the mind, relaxing the body, I become sensitive to the breath, the arising and passing of thoughts and any other sensations. It is this intersection between my outer world of nature and my inner world of intuition where my paintings are born and evolve.

 

 

In my current art practice working with oils and cold wax, I allow my paintings to spontaneously unfold. I approach a blank, white canvas like an open field of unlimited possibilities. I surround myself with a variety of tools, brushes, scrapers, knives and skewers. They are used to build the surface and work the layers and textures as they develop and change over time.

 

 

This process may go through many stages, adding and taking away paint until a desired effect is seen. I am reaching for a harmonious color palette, with dynamic surface activity and unexpected results. The images demonstrate interest, surprise and excitement when and where the unforeseen becomes manifest. These current paintings reflect my interactions with both the interior, imaginative realm and external phenomenal realities.

 

 

I am a lifelong learner. I received my undergraduate degree from Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont specializing in fiber and weaving. My masters’ degrees in Transpersonal Counseling and Clinical Psychology are from John F. Kennedy University, Orinda, California. My Master of Fine Art in Painting and Drawing is from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California.

 

 

I’ve received grants and fellowships from the Vermont Council on the Arts and Humanities, California Arts Council, Carbondale Council on the Arts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado and the Vermont Studio Center. I teach through Colorado Mountain College, Carbondale, Colorado focusing on Community Education. My work is exhibited throughout the U.S. and I am frequently invited to participate in Invitational Shows.

 

 

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