Ellie Kingsbury

 

Mentor Philosophy

You have art inside you. You have a unique vision and a unique story to tell. Only you can make your art. If you know your path, then we can work on resources, goal-setting, and development.   I will be there to help answer questions, and I’ll also ask you to consider answering questions too. If your path is unclear, then let’s work on casting aside any limiting opinions or assumptions.

If you’re interested in the mentorship program, your’ve already taken that first step towards being the artist you want to be. There are visual endorphins to be made, to be had, and to call your own. This is your opportunity.

I have had a camera in my hands since 8th grade. I’ve had fine art and commercial experience for over 25 years. I also have been a protégée of the WARM mentorship program. I can’t say enough about how much I grew during that mentorship, knowing my mentor was taking me and my work seriously. And it isn’t just an isolated relationship – when you’re in a room with WARM mentors and protégées, everyone is taking you seriously. When’s the last time you had that?

I’m impressed with all the mentors in WARM, for each recognizes that the protégée is in the driver’s seat. We are not, however, merely cheerleaders. Consider this mentorship to be a time of production, a safe place to wonder out loud and fearlessly, a soft place to fall, and definitely a place to grow.

Artists Statement

I create an honored space for ordinary beings that are past their prime, questioning whether beauty and decay are mutually exclusive. I concentrate on two different kinds of subjects, people and produce. Though outwardly they seem like an incongruent pairing, my goal is to expose a shared experience of sturdiness in their cycle of life. Pock marks, irregular shapes and wrinkles are evident at first glance, but then a more complex narrative emerges. My subjects seem perhaps a little lonely or pensive in their simple, darkened environments, but they are unafraid. My series is titled “There Are No Perfect Moments”.

As a person who grew up in a Midwestern farming community and who keeps a large garden, I have always felt a connection to the cycles of life. I have a huge respect for the mundane and rather distrust anything that’s too pretty. Grocery store produce sometimes looks fake to me – sure the color is pretty, but with perfect shaping and no texture, how do I know it’s been living? The same rings true with regards to people in our media driven world. Our culture values newness over experience, and it’s only after highly photoshopped images became the norm did we question its impact.

Each still life strives to pull a little history out of the subject. Blighted peppers or sagging skin are not a showcase of imperfections, but rather a narrative of experience.