ELLEN E. BAER

About the Artist

Ellen Baer’s artwork was selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program and was on exhibition for five years in Niamey, Niger.  In addition, her paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and cultural centers, including the Bernice Kish Gallery in Columbia Maryland; Wohlfarth Galleries and Touchstone Gallery in Washington DC; and the Brentwood Arts Exchange in Brentwood, Maryland. Baer’s work is in private and corporate collections, including the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Meso, California; Ksi Management Corporation in Centreville, Virginia; and Off the Hook Productions in Hollywood, California.

Artist's Statement

I have always been drawn to abstract art. The lack of recognizable imagery in my paintings allows me to express how I move about and see the world in a direct way. When I make marks, they trace my hand's movement and communicate how it feels to move my body through space. I can also convey the experience of falling, climbing or just standing still through the arrangement of shapes and paint strokes.  My paintings also invite you to feel the power of the natural world: the wind moving the clouds, a mountain towering above, or the planets drifting through space.  Currently, I am working on two series. One uses simple geometric shapes as a vehicle for exploring color relationships. Some colors work together subtlety and explore nuisance and quiet. Other colors come together and create a beautiful harmony. I use overlapping colors to create contrast which results in a sensation of glimmering light.   The second series I am working on harkens back to the Russian Constructivist movement's use of geometric shapes. I add my own variation to this style by incorporating surface texture and moodiness into the compositions. This series is created on watercolor paper, where the surface is manipulated by creasing, cutting, or tearing.  Tension is created by the juxtaposition of crisp edges of cut-out shapes against the soft edges and mistiness created by applying watercolor on the paper's undisturbed areas.  The folds also add a sculptural element to the paintings.