Thursday, August 14, 1997
"Ellen Sherman-Zinn back on the scene"
by Ralph Bellantoni
The intrusion of tragedy and the renewal of optimism are explored by Ellen Sherman-Zinn in her new show at the Palmyra Gallery in Bound Brook. The 18 recent paintings in the show titled "Forward" also reveal the new directions Sherman-Zinn is traveling artistically and personally.
Pressing personal issues forced the Warren artist away from painting for a time. But after the storm had passed, she returned to the can vas with an impassioned intensity. She labored at her craft seven days a week, exploring and transforming her experiences and emotions in the crucible of her art.
A number of the new works signal an experimental shift in style and media for Sherman-Zinn through her use of spray paint and a more muted and neutral palette. Her work "Windows" is a simple composition: a rectangular "win dow" spray painted on paper, with three horizontal lines splitting and breaking past the rectangle. The simplicity is eloquent, even hieroglyphic, and engenders a profound effect.
Two other works, "Night Drive" and "Mind Scrape," evoke the aura of a dark and ominous woods. The heavy entanglement of spray-painted lines and gestures form a maze from which the eye searches for a way out. The strong visceral quality of these paintings make them powerful personal statements. Two works with a lighter, more joyful mood are the twin "Riverdancing" paintings.
"I get new music when I'm starting new work," says Sherman-Zion. "I was listening to 'Riverdance: the traditional Celtic dance music, when I painted these. I was dancing to the music and sweeping the paint onto the paper in dancing motions. I literally danced these paintings."
Some of the larger canvasses attest that Zion has not entirely forsaken ebullient color in her work. "Three Wishes" is the crown jewel of the exhibition, and features gem-like color in an exciting, energetic compositional field. Though the painting is rectangular, it has the appeal and feeling of a mandala - those intricate circular meditation symbols used in Eastern religions.
"Three Wishes" is articulated through a series of compositional motifs. Paradoxically, the unity of the painting is facilitated by its tripartite arrangement. Trinitarian echoes occur in miniature throughout the work in the shapes and lines - the entities and landscapes - of the composition. Circles and squares and the circle within the square also repeat in interplay, contributing to the hypnotic appeal. The use of archetypal, symbolic motifs in Sherman-Zion's work is not the result of conscious deliberation.
"My art comes very much from my unconscious," she says. "For me, painting is a journey of self exploration where I seek freedom and transformation."
According to Ruth Frislid, coowner of Palmyra, Sherman-Zinn's work is particularly apropos for the mood and purpose of the Art Gallery.
"Ellen's work is full of passion, which provokes the kind of controversy and discussion that raises cultural consciousness," Frislid said.
"Forward" will he on display at the Palmyra Art Gallery through Sept. 5. The Gallery is adjoined to the Palmyra Tea Room and the Palmyra Antiquarian Bookstore. Palmyra is at 22 Hamilton St. in Bound Brook and can he reached at (908) 302-0515.
