Elizabeth Bruno
Contact:
studio: 201
website: elizabethbruno.com
email: elizabethbruno2@gmail.com
phone: 425-205-5498
galleries: Waterworks, Friday Harbor, WA
MUSEO, Langley, WA
About:
Our minds record, in a non-verbal way, ideas and images that have importance to us. Sometimes those are images that helped shape our world, and sometimes they are simply things that give us pleasure to see. As input is stored, processed and re-interpreted, the imagery becomes part of an artist’s visual vocabulary. I use this bank of imagery to form the basis of my work.
I paint in oils on wood panels. I enjoy working with pattern, figure, and color. Realism is in the mix, but I will also flatten, invent, and abstract to suit my needs. Many of my pieces celebrate imagery typically associated with women and women’s work, such as flowers, textile patterns, and stitchery.
Generally, I do little pre-planning and I am happy to let the first mark lead to the second and then to the third and so on. There are, therefore, plenty of revisions along the way. Some revisions are wipe-offs, some overpainting, and some involve sandpaper. This is why working on wood suits me so well. I like that these changes often are in evidence in the finished pieces.
Authors speak about the characters they create taking over the storytelling and leading the plot of their novels in directions the author didn’t plan or expect. I feel the same about creating these paintings. They take me where they need to go.