BELLWETHER is proud to present the work of emerging artists
Ellen Altfest
Made from observation in rural Connecticut, Ellen Altfest's
paintings portray fragments of nature, including trees, rocks
and logs. The subjects are simple and are placed in the center
of the frame. This composition gives the paintings a certain
straightforward and an almost deadpan quality. There is, however,
a sense of empathy for the rocks and logs in the paintings,
which sometimes seem like portraits instead of natural studies.
Made up of an accumulation of small marks, the paintings are
at once realistic and abstract, ordered and visually chaotic.
The paintings are non-hierarchical with every visual component
in focus. Deep space is rarely represented. Painted without
direct light, the objects stand outside of a specific moment.
There is an emphasis on looking at an object making the work
is about an experience that is direct and unmediated.
Ellen's paintings are influenced by a wide variety of artists
including Albrecht Durer, Stanley Spencer, Philip Guston,
Ivan Albright, Charles Burchfield, Walt Disney, Catherine
Murphy, Vija Celmins, Neil Welliver and Alex Katz.
Ellen holds degrees from Cornell and Yale. She spent the
summer in Skowhegan Maine…
BELLWETHER is an artist-run space in support of emerging artists.
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