Painting
New York, NY
2020 Featured Artist
Painting
New York, NY
www.ellieali.com
Artist Statement
I was born in 1947 in New York City. My work has been strongly influenced by the fearless writers, musicians and painters of the nineteen fifties and sixties who paved the way for us. James Baldwin, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Joan Miro, Miles Davis, Franz Klein, Lenny Bruce, just to name a few. Having lived and painted in North Africa, India, Europe, and Turkey has left indelible impressions and marks on the mood and palate of my work.
I paint exclusively on paper. I call paper my “co-conspirator”. I paint with acrylics, Chinese ink, oil stick and wax. At a certain time during the painting process I wash the painting under running water. I then dry the painting and work over it with oil and/or acrylics. I use the finest papers from all over the world: handmade papers from Rajasthan, India, Mexico and Thailand, rice papers from Japan and China and rag papers from Italy, France and the US.
I only paint people; they speak, I listen. I believe man has always made beautiful things with his hands because he could, and because it gave him pleasure. And because it uses aspects of the mind and soul that are part of a continuum from the ancients into the infinite future. I hope to continue on that path because it gives me pleasure and because I know that I am part of the optimism of humanity. My work is collected internationally and I am grateful for all the people who I’ve met and have yet to meet who have the courage to fill their lives with art.
