Meet Ellen Murray Meissinger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Murray Meissinger.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have always loved to paint, and draw. From an early age, I knew I wanted to be an artist. In college, I started doing small watercolors every day in one of my sculpture classes and got hooked on the fluid qualities and color effects I could get with the media. Over time the watercolors and paintings on canvas grew to monumental scale. As I exhibited more on a national and international level, my art gave me the opportunity to work on some amazing projects, travel around the US, teach in Italy, and meet incredible people. An important part of my current work continues to be in watercolor, and I still like the freedom of working big. As a professor at ASU, I get to share my love of painting, drawing, and color with my students while continuing to learn and grow as an artist myself.

Please tell us about your art.
As an artist, there is always something remarkable to see, think about, and question. My watercolors typically deal with elements of time, space, reflection, and sense of place as psychological, metaphorical, and experiential concerns. Much of my work is inspired by my everyday experiences. I think about my work as a duality of realism and abstraction as well as a marriage of concept and technical understanding. I put together objects, ideas, and possibilities to form visual conversations that invite the viewer to participate in new thoughts and visual experiences. Reflections, distortions, and bold colors play a major role perceptually as well as metaphorically in my image-making and working process. Making art is nourishment for me! It’s like eating and breathing. Transforming the visual world as well as exploring imaginative questions and possibilities feeds my curiosity and satisfies my spirit. For me, art is not as much about presenting the answers as considering and identifying meaningful questions and acknowledging the importance of the creative search. This continuing search is the bond between the artist and the work, the work and the viewer, and the personal and the universal.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
My advice is to become involved with local art groups and get out to exhibitions where you can meet other artists. You can also connect with other artists online. Simply put in the effort.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I exhibit all over the country. In the Phoenix area, my paintings or watercolors are typically part of the ASU Art Faculty Shows. My work is also available on my website, ellenmurray.com. You can support my work by also supporting our active and dynamic local art community.

Contact Info:

• Website: ellenmurray.com

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