Artist Talk & Opening Reception: Ellen Picken
About the event
Description:
In this exhibition, A Gift for Our Stone Kin, Ellen Picken creates paintings that simultaneously arise from the environment and her dreams. She transforms local materials such as ochre, bone, and brick, into textured paint, then into abstract images with a life of their own.
This gathering of work invites the spirit of Basalt into the space, inviting us to recognize the ground within us. Participants are welcome to leave gifts for the Stones that shape our home.
Ellen Picken (b. 1980) explores complex themes of existence, ritual, and nature, reflecting her deep engagement with the materials and landscapes that shape her practice. She has exhibited regionally and internationally at venues including Heiken Gallery (Portland, Or), Lowell Ryan Projects (Los Angeles, CA), Samsøn (New York, NY), Gage Academy (Seattle, WA), GlogauAIR (Berlin, GER), Gallery One (Ellensburg, WA), and Entropy Gallery (Spokane, WA). Also known for her monumental public artworks, Picken has created large-scale murals across the United States for prominent organizations like Adobe, Google, and NYC Department of Transportation. Picken holds a BFA in Printmaking and a BA in Visual Communication Design from Eastern Washington University. She resides in Spokane, Washington.
social: @ellenpicken