Painting

Contact

Philadelphia, PA 19104

www.elismithart.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Statement

During my childhood I was bullied in school for having Tourette Syndrome, which went undiagnosed till my mid teens. I never gained much respect from my peers, and it wasn’t until later that I realized my art had become a means for me to receive admiration, a way to visually impress others.

Much of my art is monolithic and epic in form and style, adhering to bold imagery. I want the viewer to be unable to ignore my work, I want it to grab them and not let them go until they have noticed it, even if they cannot fully appreciate it. My desire as a painter stems from my inadequacy as a social colleague.

It is probably from the lack of outward bodily control due to my TS that I have become fascinated with the human form, and how to express so much through posture and visual presence. With this I also weave in my experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, in which the darkness of mental imagery brought on by obsessive thoughts manifests as deep shadows and tension within the figures in my work. I want my paintings to depict brokenness as well as power, inner and outer struggle as well as perseverance.

Selected Exhibitions

2009
Summer Invitational Exhibition, Heitmann Atelier & Gallery, Lancaster, PA

2008
Annual Juried Exhibition, Aughinbaugh Gallery, Messiah College, Grantham, PA

2007
Annual Juried Exhibition, Aughinbaugh Gallery, Messiah College, Grantham, PA