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I’m fascinated with the botanical – from berries to spores to orchids to dandelions. On any walk, I so enjoy the experience of bloom and burst - commonplace yet magical events.
My artwork draws inspiration from silence, sound, and the natural world, yet seems to spring forth from a world all its own. I stay improvisational, enjoying the surprise of one shift leading to another.
My artworks are personal, yet have breathing room for associations, touching and sticking in the mind. They provide a foundation, a threshold. Complementing density with delicacy, movement with anticipation, and vitality with a sense of hush are essential concerns to me.
ELLEN GEORGE
Education: B.A., Austin College, Sherman, TX
Solo Exhibitions
2008 New Work, PDX Contemporary Art, OR
2007 "Undergrowth," Joan Wich Gallery, Houston, TX
2006 "Speciation," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2005 Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA
"Thin Air," Joan Wich Gallery, Houston, TX
2004 "Meadow," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
"Out of Doors," Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX
2003 "Mum," Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, Portland, OR
"Variation," Joan Wich Gallery, Houston, Texas
2002 "Trail and Other Things," Commencement Gallery, City of Tacoma Art Commission, Tacoma, WA
"Arrangements," PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2001 "Jubilee," PDX Window Project, Portland, OR
"Small Sculpture: Ellen George," Conduit Gallery, Dallas TX
Visual Art Center Gallery, Mount Hood Community College, Gresham, OR
Joan Wich Gallery, Houston, TX
2000 "Post Mark: Objects by Ellen George," Museum of East Texas, Lufkin, TX
"Special Handling," Lower Columbia College Art Gallery, Longview, WA
1999 "Little Tin Boxes," Commencement Gallery 9th St. Window, Tacoma, WA
1997 "Round, Maude Kerns Art Center," Eugene, OR
"Nocturnes," Artists Repertory theater, Portland, OR
"He Dreams of Flying," Gallery 114, Portland, OR
1995 "Magic 8 Ball Paintings," Gallery 114
1994 "Learning to Count," Gallery 114
Selected Group Exhibitions
2007 "Building Tradition: Contemporary Northwest Art from Tacoma Art Museum," Whatcom Museum of History & Art, Bellingham, WA
"The Hook Up," New American Art Union, Jesse Hayward, curator, New American Art Union, Portland, OR
2006 "In Clover," Scott Wayne Indiana, curator, Guestroom Gallery, Portland, OR
"Grey/Area," TJ Norris, curator, Guestroom Gallery, Portland, OR
Thread Counts Project, Brookline, MA
2005 "Good Bird/Bad Bird," Contemporary Crafts Museum & Gallery, Portland, OR
"War Drawings," Visual Arts Center, Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham, OR
"Fresh Trouble," freshtrouble.com, Jeff Jahn, curator, Portland, OR
3rd Around Oregon Annual, ArtCentric Arts Center, Corvallis, OR
Juried Exhibition, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
2004 21 Years of Studios: Friends of Carton Services, Haze Gallery and Carton Services, Portland, OR
Summer Group Show, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
Pacific Northwest Annual, Adell McMillan Gallery, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
"Building Tradition," Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA catalogue
2003 "Symbiont/Synthetic," Core Sample, Jeff Jahn, curator, Portland, OR
"Building Tradition," Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA catalogue
Biennial Review of NW Art & Craft, Oregon College of Art & Craft, Portland, OR
"Dancing on the Walls," Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery, Portland, OR
"Alias," Autzen Gallery, Portland State University, Portland, OR
2002 "The Box Show," Mark Woolley Gallery, Portland, OR
"Work," Center Space, Portland, OR
"Abstract Realism," Mail Art Show, Manchester, England brochure
2001 Pacific Northwest Annual, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA
New Works, PDX, Portland, OR
Tacoma Art Museum’s Sixth Northwest Biennial: Pleasure Craft, Tacoma, WA (received Juror’s Award)
Celebrate Northwest Women 2001, Wiseman Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, OR
"Recycled Treasures," White Sturgeon Art Gallery, Water Resources Education Center, Vancouver, WA
2000 "Holiday Box," PDX, Portland, OR
Holiday Group Show, Gallery Artists, Joan Wich Gallery, Houston, TX
"Traditional Methods/Transcendent Expressions," Kathryn Cawein Gallery, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR
The 7th Annual International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (Selected for traveling exhibit through 2002)
"The Art Is In The Mail(ing): Mail Art Exhibit complementing: Ray Johnson: Correspondences," Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH
1999 "The Inquisitive Object: A Biennial Review of NW Art & Craft, Hoffman Gallery," Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR (Received Award of Merit)
"Mail Art Exhibit in conjunction with Ray Johnson: Correspondences," Whitney Museum of Art, New York, New York
South Sound Annual, Commencement Art Gallery, Tacoma, WA
"Beyond the Fold: Artist’s Books from Traditional to Cutting Edge," The Gallery of South Orange, South Orange, NJ
1998 "Co-operators," Hoffman Gallery, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR
"Christmas at tidbit," tidbit, Portland, OR
11th Annual Miniature Show, Cannon Beach Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR
1997 "In/Visible," The Spare Room, Salem, OR
1996 Celebrate Northwest Women 1996, Wiseman Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, OR
1994 National Small Painting & Sculpture Exhibition, Boise State University, Boise, ID
Grants/Awards
2002 Award Recipient, Grants for Artist Projects (GAP), Artist Trust, Seattle, WA
Special Recognition Award, Art Port Townsend 2002 Annual Juried Exhibit, Port Townsend, WA Jim McDonald, Curator: Safeco Collection, Jurist
2001 Juror’s Award, Tacoma Art Museum’s Sixth Northwest Biennial: Pleasure Craft, Tacoma, WA
1999 Award of Merit, The Inquisitive Object: A Biennial Review of NW Art & Craft, Hoffman Gallery, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR
Selected Publications
2007 Pence, Elizabeth. “Building Tradition at the Whatcom Museum.Artweek, February
Wiggers, Namita Gupta.“Ellen George, PDX Contemporary Art. Artlies, Summer
2006 D.K. Row, “Beauty to the Max, Minimally,” The Orgegonian,June 5
2005 “Ellen George at Archer Gallery,” Port, October 24
Jahn, Jeff. “Portland Art in 2004... and 2005,” Critical i. NW Drizzle. January
2004 Terranova, Charissa N. “Ellen George Out of Doors,” Dallas Observer, October
Zamudio, Raul. ArtNexus, AAF New York
Allan, Lois. “Ellen George at PDX,” Artweek, May
Jahn, Jeff. “The Imports,” Critical i. NW Drizzle. April
Hayward, Jesse. “Ellen George, PDX Contemporary Art.” The Organ, Summer
2003 Zotos, John, “Ellen George: Variation”, Artlies: A Texas Art Journal, Summer
Row, D.K., “Two Cultural Views, One Voice.” The Oregonian, May 9
Jahn, Jeff. “View From Portland”. Modern Painters. Spring, 2003
2002 Graves, Jen. “The Arts: TAM’s Stone Wave Soul. . .” The New Tribune, December 8
Jahn, Jeff. “Chicago, PDX & Ellen George.” Critical i, NW Scuttle, June Lambert, Lisa.
“One Review/WW Pick.” Willamette Week, June 5
2001 Hackett, Regina. “Northwest Pluck at BAM.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer,October 23
Kangas, Matthew. “Works in BAM’s Annual Resist Traditional Categories.” Seattle Times, October 19
Graves, Jen. “Chicago Painter Picked Pieces For ‘Pleasure Craft’ Northwest Biennial Exhibit.” The News Tribune, June 22
Taylor, M. Khalil. “George Uses Miniature.” University of Houston Daily Cougar, March 27
1999 Bischoff, Dan. “Bound for Pleasure. The Star Ledger, September 24
Zingaro, Maria. “South Orange Exhibit Writes the Book on Originality,” Essex Journal, September 19
Zimmer, William. “Books Speaking Volumes, Often From Their Covers.” The New York Times, September 19
1997 Ferranto, Matt. “Spare Art.” Untitled, March
1994 Ferranto, Matt. “Count Basic.” Arts Oregon, April/May
Public Collections
Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA
4 Culture and King County Public Art, Portable Works Collection, Seattle, WA
Museum of East Texas, Lukin, TX