Erin Elman
Archaic Amphora II, 2023
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 16"

Artist Statement

As a lyrical abstractionist, I incorporate spontaneous expression and illusionary space with obscured objects and implied imagery. I continually seek the moment in my paintings and I am influenced by a pantheon of artists that explore the full range of human emotion and history using color and process that is universally relatable. My practice allows me to balance numerous contradictions I encounter in my daily life: intentionality vs. spontaneity; gesture vs. control; conscious vs. subconscious; materiality vs. the ethereal; representation vs. the evocative; contrived vs. authentic. The works are the evidence of my internal struggles and conversations - languaged through composition, marks, gesture, and color.

Artist Bio

Erin Elman was born in Brooklyn, NY where she was raised by two remarkable New York City public school teachers who exposed their daughters to all of the great art and culture of New York City. She received a BFA in Art from Carnegie Mellon University and also studied in Rome where she fell in love with Etruscan art and ruins. She received an MA in Art Education and an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking, both from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Elman has artwork in numerous public and private collections, including the Tate London. She lives in a stone cottage in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia with her family.

erinelman.com

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