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RUSKIN-SHANKLIN, Elizabeth
Paintings + Collages
Artist Statement
Art as I see it is the expression of the people. My portraits of others and myself, given my age, have now become memorials and a record of this great progression of expression by humans. The pieces I keep with me are the ones I talk to as a spiritual record of those I hope to party with in the sweet bye and by. We each leave behind a legacy of love and observation of the world that is so varied in its color and form that it's hard to describe or learn all that we can see, hear and feel. Every neighborhood has it's legacy and you can tear it down but the spirit of it remains in its art and history, and it rises again with the next generation.
Artist Bio
I received a BFA from UW Superior in 1978. Among my professors, Bill Morgan stands out as a mentor. He was a student of Hans Hoffman and taught us as we watched him do both figurative and abstract art. I have worked with the Northeast Minneapolis coop drawing for 20 years doing the Diebenkorn/Mattisse take on the nude with one of the great icons of Northeast Minneapolis, Florence Hill. Somehow, she has kept this coop going for over 30 years.....many thanks! Many thanks also to David Feinberg for his Voice to Vision project, working with survivors of war and genocide to cooperatively create works of art that express this human experience. David has also lead critique groups for over 30 years that I have had the privilege of attending. Right now, I'm enjoying Women of Abstract Expressionism and the recent Jim Denomie retrospective at the MIA, viewing every semi abstract landscape artist I can find. I've exhibited around Minneapolis, St. Paul, Robbinsdale, and Stillwater, always enjoying the opportunity.
