This month I’m learning about women painters of the 20th century. As I walk in their paths (as much as our historical documentation allows me), I am reminded of my own journey, how I’ve arrived to this new place of wonder, strength, and workmanship. I am forever evolving like my predecessors. I will continue to explore, share, and forge new trails for our descendants which contribute to the footprint I wish to leave in my world.
Today, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the cultural, social, economic, and political achievements of women in our world. I am honored and proud to be a part of our strong communities. To all that have supported, fought, protested, celebrated and united for change in our world and to those that continue to do so, I praise each and everyone of you.
Thank you,
Please sign up on my mailing list on the home page to be a part of my community.
A new body of work to pay homage to my journey, celebrate the art of my story, and to further explore cellular memory as well as symbiotic relationships between landscapes, humans and our cultures. The launch of this series includes 13 original oil paintings. Inspired by my fascination and wonder of all things in nature, the connectedness to my surroundings, the journey of my DNA, and the rituals encompassing my spirituality.
Thank you Mary Babcock for inviting me into the gallery, organizing the art exhibit, and curating the space with me. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this body of work with Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and its community.
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I see my face in your face
A reflection so familiar
As the blood travels my veins
I do remember
All the places I’ve lived, the languages learned.
I feel the miles traveled to survive, protect, trade, conquer, enslave, and fall in love
Weaving the cultural tapestries into beautiful landscapes
My eyes become relationship and connectedness of self
To all that have come before, to all that is around, and to what will eventually be
Mined like precious stones
Arousal, consciousness, clarity
Reshape the ethnic patterns of my heart
Joyful, sorrowful, glorious, luminous; all dancing
I’m calling this sampling of work my “Vignette Series”. I am exploring new avenues and wanted to showcase the variety of color and playfulness in my paintings. They are in the range of 6″x6″ to 9″x12″. All paintings are $75.00 which includes tax and S &H.
Please sign up on my website to be a part of my community. Things are happening and it gives you a birds eye view into my world. I can feel it in my bones…2018 will bring continued focus, clarity, new connections and more paintings.
Happy New Year (insert glass of cheer, clink-clink)!
Thank you everyone who came out to support local artists and their fine goods. It was a huge success and my heart is full. Another great experience with some awesome, badass women. It was a fabulous way to end the year!
A huge shout out to my posse who follow me, buy my art and support my journey! I am beyond grateful!
Please check out my website for any updates or artful needs you may have. Share the love and pass along my site. There will be a sign up there to follow my whereabouts and a shopping cart to boot.
Happy holidays and New Year to you and yours! Cheers, Ellen
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…a painting with beautiful birch trees.
The tall birch reach to the heavens. As I walk in the woods up north, the sun kisses the tree line. I’m reminded of other peaceful moments here spent dreaming, taking in the crisp air. It refreshes my soul and the smell of wet leaves as the sun melts the morning frost inspires me. This time I spend alone with my thoughts and a warm cup of tea greeting my day. I am always thankful to the woods for sharing her space with me.
Whispering Birch
Oil on Board
11.5 x 11.5″SOLD
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…two sturdy and strong evergreens.
Wildly powerful, nourishing and protecting. I feel you surround me with your goodness. In the clearing, my eyes widen and I wrap you around me like a blanket as I enter new territory. You protect me from the harsh wind and the elements but are gracious to not shield me from all that I am to learn. Be bold on your journey and embrace this meditative state. There is no other way.
Inviting the Wild
Oil on Board
10 x 16″
$400
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…a triptych of colorful forest scenes.
I feel playful and childlike in your forest. If I close my eyes, I can see a collection of memories; swinging from your awesome branches, games of hide and seek, building forts, climbing to the tippy tops, and running through your coppice like a maze. As seasons change you’re always providing us with your calm, beauty and strength. Whimsical and innocent, I can be any age in your care.
Oil on Board
9 x 12″
$150/each
These can be sold as a set or separately.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…four quiet woodsmen.
“Quiet in the Morning” Oil on Canvas 18×24 2017 $400
I am grounded in the earth like a tree, embodied in the woodland. Like many, my bark is engrained with your stories. I grow slowly but strong as I collect history. I stand alone but I am not lonely. I’m never too far away from the others and our branches touch and oscillate to and fro. I am the canopy of protection as I sway in the breeze. A narrative exchange in the wind, like quiet whispers of a child. A sacred ritual to release the deep impressions on my torso.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
“Sunder the Thicket Oil” on Canvas 18”x24” 2017 SOLD
…Fiiiiivvvvvvvveeee warm embraces.
We stop paddling and coast into the small clearing; we’ve reached our destination. We cheers to our accomplishment with a cup of wine and break for a moment in the warm sun. You hold the canoe still while I step onto land. After pulling the canoe out of the water, you ask to carry my pack. We enter our final pass knowing this is the end but we have only just begun.
On the Sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
“Colorado Calling” Oil on Board 18″ x 18″ 2017 SOLD
..six spirits awakening.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Natures peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”. – John Muir
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…seven viewpoints shifting.
Mind Works Oil on Canvas 18”x24” 2017 $400
I set the hands back in time of your landscape. All knowing and all seeing, sunrise becomes sunset and future falls and risings blend together. Like the internal gears of a watch, this journey I am on reveals a cartogram of images. The recorded geography is placed with an elemental bezel in the chamber of my heart. Your spatial patterns line my memory with nostalgia and embellishments that crown my soul.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…eight peaceful new beginnings.
I lean in closer
Aperture compressed
I no longer see the landscape of the earth
A mural presents itself before me
and like a fragment magnified, rich and brilliant
My joys, my woes, moments of denial, struggle and beauty
Make deeper connections
Embedded in the vibrations and color
And my soul is revealed.
The eyes are the window of the soul – English Proverb.
Pinnacle of My Eye-SOLD
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
…nine Fir trees sparkling.
You sparkle in the sun and warm my heart. Your colors glisten like a polished mineral from the earth and I can see your natural design. At first you must be broken into pieces, sorted and measured.
Put together with love and care you rise strong into something so beautiful. Though delicate you are supported with a rigid frame and always hold together. You resist wind, rain, and snow. Your needles arranged make patterns and tell stories. You are familiar and welcoming. As your branches fall just in the right place, I know I am home.
Stained Glass Curtain SOLD
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
..ten artists emerging.
Mediterranean Landscape Oil on Canvas 16”x20” 2017 $500
On land, I close my eyes and rest on your shores. I can feel the ground welcoming my presence.
Into the water, I swim freely in your care and acknowledge how lucky I am to be sharing this moment.
A breeze sends a quiver right through me and enlightens my spirit with passion and vitality.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
Oil on Canvas 18”x24” 2017 SOLD
Flowers always make my heart sing. The smell of their fragrant blooming buds. Their vibrant colors. Greeting me and reminding me that I too am alive.
Pink, small, and punctual,
Aromatic, low,
Covert in April,
Candid in May,
Dear to the moss,
Known by the knoll,
Next to the robin
In every human soul.
Bold little beauty,
Bedecked with thee,
Nature forswears
Antiquity.
~ E. Dickinson
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…
MINNETONKA, MN – Individual local artists came together in December 2016 to enhance the business side of their art experience. The artists connected at the Excelsior Library, MN while taking business classes for artists. The classes taught how to start, maintain and enhance many career oriented aspects of running one’s own business. These five artists decided afterwards that collaborating while exercising what they learned would be beneficial. They had a successful art show in May of 2017. Now they support one another’s endeavors and are returning to the library on October 28th, 2017 for a panel discussion for other artists attending the same business classes they did one year ago. Artists include: Ellen Sweetman, Pieter Maas, Missy Moore, Steve Holzgreafe, and Diane Pearson.
PRESS RELEASEMinnetonka, MN—June 19-September 1, 2017—The Art Center on 7 (ACo7) and livelybrush, llc. are pleased to present an exhibition of work by nine artists from the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota areas which includes.: Ellen Sweetman (Minnetonka), Tim Getman (Cannon Falls), Dennis Kalow (NE Mpls), Lisa Carlson (Cold Spring), Nina Guertin (NE Mpls), John Sandy (S Mpls), Zoi Sandy (S. Mpls), Sarah Weiben (S. Mpls), and Jaana Mattson (Uptown).
The show is titled: Admiration at its Finest; A tribute to the influences in my Life.
It is over a 20 year a collection by the above mentioned. A variety of medium and styles are represented- An education for all who attend. The show is in memory of Bela Petheo; and in honor of all those who teach and give throughout their lifetime.
The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10A-2PM. A reception will be announced as soon as the date and time is set. Please join us in celebrating art, teachers in our community and those who contribute their knowledge, time and above all encouragement and support.
More details can be found on the ACo7 and livelybrush websites.
The Gallery Pop-Up was another huge success. First time in about 10 years I ran with a group. We met about 6 months ago. I chose these individuals to do a show in my home. The preparation was more extensive, contained legitimate documentation and had actual deadlines…which we met for the most part. I was so proud of us. Another achievement that makes my heart sing.
As the house gets put back in order and the artwork delivered, I sit in my studio and wonder what is next for me. It’s a big question. I find myself at this crossroads a great deal. I am grateful for the excitement of the day, the support of friends, family and new clients, and the artwork that surrounds me in my space. I am confident and inspired as I cure my emotional hangover with new work and new connections. I take out another canvas and decide that no matter my direction it must begin with painting. Painting will allow me to look at the bigger picture, process all lessons learned and open my awareness to new opportunities.
Thank you to all that participated in these past months. As I catapult into the next stage, I bring you all with me; motivating, guiding, and encouraging me to stand strong and believe in the journey. This painting above shares in my vision and my ability to absorb this experience and utilize it for validation and progress.
New work off to Bower Boutique. Their grand opening is Friday, May 19th from 4-7. Come experience the joy of shopping, drink, music and local artists work.
I lean in closer
livelybrush 