‘Theme And Variations’ By Artist Ellen Chuse At 440 Gallery

Ellen Chuse‘s fifth solo show at 440 Gallery is currently up and running through Sunday, April 24, providing an opportunity to see the work of a very accomplished artist. Her work moves between representation and abstraction, while using nature as her muse.

The colors of her work are hyper-saturated, connecting very much to the energy of the natural.

“Nature contains a life force and vitality that captivates me: the energy of trees simultaneously reaching and rooting; the strength and determination of leaves and plants as they reach for light and air; the ocean’s plant life as it bends and floats with the tides,” says Chuse. “The shapes and edges that define these forms and the spaces in between have been my muse on and off for years.”

We had an opportunity to speak in-depth with Chuse about her work trajectory, striking color palette, and her experience being part of the 440 Gallery collective for almost a decade.

PSS: Thanks for speaking with us. This is your fifth exhibit at 440. That’s a lot of work. What ideas are you bringing to this exhibit that vary from your previous showings?

Ellen Chuse: Theme and Variations is really a continuation of my on-going exploration of deeply saturated color along with natural forms which have been part of my artist vocabulary for decades. I tend to work throughout the year whether I have a show or not so often the show emerges from the work rather than the other way around.

In the past I have had one or two shows which had a clear theme — particularly Imagined Light: Memories of Rome where I made some very large paintings of the Umbrella Pines of Rome, but for the most part I work intuitively with whatever forms engage me at the moment.

440 is extremely unique in the neighborhood, providing an artists’ collective. How long have you worked with 440? Do the artists in the collective affect your work at all?

Hard to believe but this is my 10th year as part of the 440 Gallery community! I was invited to join in January of 2007 and had my first solo show in 2008.

The sense of community and the interaction with other artists on a regular basis has had a profound effect on my growth as an artist. So often we work in isolation with few opportunities to show our work. Having a regular dialogue with other artists — not to mention having their support — is both challenging and affirming. I’ve seen my confidence grow and have had the opportunity to pursue ideas and threads that might have eluded me before.

You began your work in sculpture but have primarily worked in drawings since the 80s. Do you ever revisit sculpture? Does it have an influence in your current work?

Hmmmm. I haven’t thought about sculpture in a long time. Like most art students in the 60s I made sculpture in a variety of materials but eventually focused on ceramic clay. I built large abstract sculptures in slab and looking back I can see my continuing interest in line, edge, and interstices even in the fired clay sculpture.

Clay is a demanding medium and the birth of my first child back in 1980 made regular studio time impossible. Clay collapses, dries out, and generally needs tender care which made it impossible to continue at that time. And finding places to fire the clay in NYC got harder. Eventually I became engaged with drawing in charcoal and chalk which many years later led me to painting.

Recently I have thought about some installation ideas in paper but I don’t think I’d return to clay. The methods I used were physically challenging and required a level of strength that would be hard to sustain now. Working with paper has been a dream. So easy to lift, move, and store!

I find your selections of colors and their relation to each other to be powerful. Do you select your palette before you start work, or does it develop?

My plunge into color has been a wonderful and wild ride. Working for decades in fired clay and then in charcoal drawings I had a deep fear of color in my art work although surrounded by it in my life. My tentative moves into color came about by being part of a small community of artists — notice the thread!

in the mid-90s we met every 6 weeks or so to share work. We were all parents and so finding time to work was challenging to say the least. Having a gathering to work towards was very helpful. One of the artists — a wonderful painter David Konigsberg — said he saw a lot of color in my black, white, and gray charcoal drawings.

I was shocked but that gave me the confidence to begin tentative inclusion of colored chalk in some work. Chalk led to pastel and eventually all roads were leading to paint, which terrified me as I hadn’t painted since sophomore year in art school.

To answer your actual question….I work very intuitively. I know where I begin, but never where it will end up. That said, I do have certain colors which may be very present for me at any given time and so will crop up in my work. Lately there’s almost always a lot of blue since my narratives often take me into the sea or the sky.

I’ve had a thing about the color red all my life and so it’s a powerful draw for me. Some of the fun and challenge of the “Little Jewels” series was working on several small pieces and exploring different color ideas simultaneously. When I began the painting that became “Oaxaca Morning,” I did have an idea of the intense deep blues against a red ground but it evolved into an orangey vermillion as the work progressed.

The excitement of making art for me is finding out what will happen as the work unfolds. The positive feedback as I go deeper into unabashed color has been very affirming.

You’ve lived all over; Italy, Austin, and of course New York. Does the environment you live in affect the work you create?

Although I have lived in several places, for better or worse, New York City is my emotional home. Ironically, since nature is my muse, much of my inspiration comes from my annual pilgrimage to the ocean where everything from seaweed to rock formations inspire me.

Similarly the landscape and semi tropical vegetation of Italy and Northern California are also sources for me. But a bunch of basil from the Greenmarket or a bunch of tulips from the corner market can also be the beginning of an idea. I tend to absorb art and nature when I am traveling and then work in my studio once I return home.

The year I spent in Florence on a Fulbright was an exception and I did make work in clay which was fired in big kilns in Impruneta where they make the huge planters. Quite an experience!

The Exhibition Rundown: Ellen Chuse: Theme and Variations
Where: 440 Gallery (440 6th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets)
When:Through April 24. The Closing Party will take place at 4:40pm on April 24.
Phone: 718-499-3844
Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 4-7pm; Saturdays and Sundays 11am-7pm
Admission: Free. Price list for artwork available at gallery.