Ellen Hermanos

Putty Study, abstract acrylic painting

2019

Artist Bio Hermanos received a BA in Art History from William Smith College. She studied abroad in Florence and Venice, at the Scuola Internationale di Grafica. She received a certificate in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art, 1992. Her influences continue in the less formal, but no less colorful New Orleans, where Hermanos often retreats, free from the structures of her past to uncover her own expressions. Hermanos’ interest in the emotional world threads not only through her art, but also her alternate career as a psychotherapist. As a therapist, she helps others to make tangible meaning of their experiences, developing compassion and value for themselves and their accomplishments. Connecting with others, she escapes the narrowness of personal introspection, giving an emotional perspective that reaches beyond the borders of self. Hermanos’ work has been featured in greater Massachusetts at The Stove Factory Gallery, Artana Gallery, Coolidge Corner, Charlesmark Hotel, Claremont Café; in Boston, MA at South End, Crystal Duell Arts, South Boston Open Studios; as well as in New Orleans, LA at Gallery Diva.The artist lives near Boston, away from the distractions and pace of Manhattan. She is a member of a group therapy practice, which also informs her artwork. She is represented by Susan Eley Fine Art and has shown with the Gallery in both its NYC and Upstate locations—most recently in the exhibition Floral Inhabited on view in Hudson, NY in 2022. Artist Statement: My interest lies in the exploration of the uses of color and the subsequent creation of texture. A brush, a palette knife, and a sponge roller lay on or remove color. My work is primarily the product of unintentional combinations of color and texture, which create new, unexpected results. Newness presents opportunity to change the direction of the work; decision-making of what parts remain and what is then reworked. Blocks of color, the anti- form, detract from a subject, in favor of color and texture. Most of my paintings have many layers. Some are finished works, then reworked, which show through the surface, insinuating another time, layer, and life.