The wild and mystical assemblages by artist Ellen Jewett are beautiful amalgamates of animals, plants, and the occasional use of other natural mixed media. Her extensive background in anthropology, medical illustration, exotic animal care, and stop motion animation are apparent in the details of each piece, creating beautifully-grotesque, ethereal creatures that are quite extraterrestrial.
The exclusion of materials that have known toxic properties such as most commercially available mediums (paint, finishes, clay, glazes, etc.) is what has guided her work towards it’s unconventional and authentic impression.Though her sculptures have a lovely intricate aesthetic she places her attention in using less physical substance by subtracting more and more to increase the negative space.
“...while there is an appearance of complexity in design, there is a simplicity in execution. Each detail, down to the finest filigree, is free-modeled by hand. Within each piece precision is balanced by chaos. The overarching aesthetic knocks on the door of realism, yet the hand of the artist is never intentionally erased; brush strokes and fingerprints abound. Even the narratives themselves harbor a degree of anarchy as they are rarely formally structured. Rather, I seek to achieve flow states while working to create a fluid progression of unconscious imagery. That imagery, as manifest in tiny ephemeral shapes and beings, forms relationships and dialogues organically. In the spirit of surrealism, this psychological approach to artistic expression creates a rich network of personal archetypes and motifs that appear to occupy their own otherworldly space. Within this ethereal menagerie, anthrozoology meets psychoanalysis as themes of natural beauty, curiosity, colonialism, domestication, death, growth, visibility and wildness are explored.”
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