The brush: Pushing the possibilities
The brush offers limitless possibilities. A simple stroke can capture a moment, an idea, a flower petal. Five strokes build a drum rhythm, an atmosphere around a flower. I am exploring ways of visually expressing feelings, moods, energies—an ocean wave, the wind, a flower—whether realistically or abstractly.
El Pincel
El pincel ofrece posibilidades ilimitadas. Con un simple trazo puedo capturar un momento, una idea, un pétalo de flor. Con cinco trazos puedo crear un ritmo de tambor, una atmósfera alrededor de una flor. Estoy explorando maneras de expresar sentimientos visualmente, estados de ánimo y energías (una ola del océano, el viento, una flor), ya sea de una manera realista o abstracta.
About this work
My first attempts with a calligraphy brush were in 1970, when I was in my twenties. I have been practicing ever since. In the late 1980s, I encountered Aya Itagaki, a shaman with the brush and as a teacher, who had me work in a more abstract, less traditional way.
For many years, I concentrated on large, abstract works I painted in acrylic with my hands. When they were destroyed by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, I was devastated. Losing so much to natural, inevitable forces conveyed many messages about impermanence, change, and what is really important in life, especially being in the present—mindfulness.
I decided to move to calligraphy on mulberry papers as a more environmentally friendly way to make art that anyone can buy. This is the first time I have put these works together. For me, they are all about the dance of the brush, dancing color onto the paper to express a gesture, a thought, a moment, a mood.
Sobre esta obra
Mis primeros intentos con un pincel de caligrafía fueron en 1970, cuando tenía veintitantos años. Desde entonces he estado practicando. A finales de los años 1980, conocí a Aya Itagaki, un chamán con el pincel y como profesor, que me hizo trabajar de una manera más abstracta y menos tradicional.
Durante muchos años me concentré en obras grandes y abstractas que pintaba en acrílico con las manos. Quedé devastada cuando estas fueron destruidas por el huracán María en Puerto Rico,. Perder tanto ante fuerzas naturales e inevitables transmitió muchos mensajes sobre la impermanencia, el cambio y lo que es verdaderamente importante en la vida, especialmente en el presente: la atención plena.
Decidí pasar a confeccionar caligrafía sobre papeles de morera como una forma más respetuosa hacia el medio ambiente de hacer arte que cualquiera pueda comprar. Esta es la primera vez que confecciono estas obras. Para mí, se trata de la danza del pincel, la danza del color sobre el papel para lograr expresar un gesto, un pensamiento, un momento, un estado de ánimo.
My Thoughts on Art
For me, art connects us with our humanity, with emotions and experiences that spark a sense of transcendence. Historically, art has a strong connection with the spiritual. In 14th-century Florence, art in the churches helped people connect with the power and presence of the divine. Beautiful objects made by a shaman make a similar connection to a world beyond our three dimensions. Art reconnects us with a broader level of being, also known as mindfulness.
Art shifts our awareness of the everyday world, often fraught with difficulties, to a different level. An image, a verse, music, or the movements of a dance can bring meaning, joy, a sense of peace, a spiritual connection.
Technique itself is meditation, and meditation is an integral part of my creative process. Meditating through the brush strokes shifts my awareness, which flows through to the painting. Sometimes I work for days to perfect an image, practicing a few brushstrokes over and over, as in some of the drum and dance paintings, to condense it to the simplest form—a symbol, a sigil, or a magic sign. Sometimes I spend days adding layer on layer of brushstrokes.
I have always been most interested in impressionism and expressionism, works that emote rather than tell a story. I am interested in the healing qualities of colors, their contrasts and juxtapositions.
I want my art to add something positive to the space it inhabits. My best paintings expand beyond their borders.
Mis pensamientos sobre el arte
Para mí, el arte nos conecta con nuestra humanidad, con emociones y experiencias que despiertan un sentido de trascendencia. Históricamente, el arte tiene un fuerte vínculo con lo espiritual. En la Florencia del siglo XIV, el arte en las iglesias ayudaba a los feligreses a conectarse con el poder y la presencia de lo divino. Los hermosos objetos creados por un chamán establecen una conexión similar con un mundo más allá de nuestras tres dimensiones. El arte nos reconecta con una mayor profundidad del ser, también conocido como atención plena.
El arte eleva nuestra conciencia de este mundo cotidiano, a menudo plagado de dificultades, a un diferente nivel. Una imagen, un verso, la música o los movimientos de una danza pueden darnos mayor significado, alegría, una sensación de paz, una conexión espiritual.
La técnica en sí es la meditación y la meditación es parte integral de mi proceso creativo. Meditar a través de las pinceladas cambia mi conciencia, la cual fluye hacia la pintura. A veces trabajo días y días para perfeccionar una imagen, practicando algunas pinceladas una y otra vez, como en algunas de las pinturas de tambores y danzas, para condensarla en la forma más simple: un símbolo, un sigilo o un signo mágico. Suelo pasar días añadiendo capa tras capa de pinceladas.
Siempre me han interesado más el impresionismo y el expresionismo, obras que emocionan en lugar de contar una historia. Me interesan las cualidades curativas de los colores, sus contrastes y yuxtaposiciones.
Quiero que mi arte añada algo positivo al espacio en el cual habita. Mis mejores pinturas se expanden más allá de sus fronteras.
Themes
I paint in groups that express themes, often the direct result of emotionally strong life experiences, good and bad. For example, the earthquakes in Puerto Rico left me with the disturbing feeling that the earth was constantly vibrating and about to slip out from under me. Much of my work is inspired by drumming and dancing—and, of course, the challenges of the corona virus pandemic. At other times, I just like to paint flowers. I always have.
Temas
Pinto en grupos que expresan temas, a menudo el resultado directo de experiencias emocionalmente fuertes que me ha dado la vida, buenas y malas. Por ejemplo, luego de los terremotos en Puerto Rico me quedé con la inquietante sensación de que la tierra vibraba constantemente y que estaba a punto de deslizarse debajo de mí. Gran parte de mi trabajo está inspirado en los tambores y el baile y, por supuesto, en los retos de la pandemia del virus corona. Otras veces simplemente me gusta pintar flores. Siempre las tengo.
A LITTLE ABOUT MY BACKGROUND
Some influences
Growing up outside of New York City, I had a great opportunity to visit all the art museums. My father had a strong interest in art and started taking me when I was very young. By the time I was thirteen, I was going on my own. Inevitably, I would hop the train on the Mondays that were school holidays, forgetting that many museums are closed on Mondays.
My first influences were the impressionists and later, to a certain extent, the expressionists. I have always loved Monet, especially the technical aspects of how he applies layers of paint.
The summer I was 15, I was invited on a trip to Europe. In London, at the Tate Gallery—on my own for some reason—I wandered into the rooms with all the large Turners. I had never heard of him, but I was lost in wonder as I studied painting after painting.
Later, I discovered Mark Rothko. His idea of the painting enveloping the viewer influenced my first series of large, meditative paintings.
I also love Jackson Pollock for his gestural expressions that make sense of their madness. He inspired me to start working on the floor. I must also mention Josef Albers. His color studies helped me to refine my use of color juxtapositions.
As a child, I was always painting. To my mother’s great distress, my room was scattered with projects and piled with art and craft supplies: paints, paper, brushes, glues, fabric, matting materials. My art teachers strongly encouraged me. The highlight of elementary school was 3rd grade, when we finally got to use the real art room. The first day, in my first painting, I used every color I could find, saturating the paper until it slid off in a sticky brown clump to the floor. In high school, I started the art club, partly because I could then spend study hall in the art room.
ALGO SOBRE MIS ANTECENDENTES
Algunas influencias
Me crie en las afueras de la ciudad de Nueva York, y tuve la gran oportunidad de visitar todos los museos de arte. A mi padre le interesaba mucho el arte y empezó a llevarme cuando yo era muy joven. Cuando tenía trece años, ya iba sola. A veces tomaba el tren los lunes que eran vacaciones escolares, sin recordar que muchos museos cierran los lunes.
Mis primeras influencias fueron los impresionistas y más tarde, en cierta medida, los expresionistas. Siempre me ha encantado Monet, especialmente los aspectos técnicos de cómo aplica las capas de pintura.
En el verano de mis 15 años, me invitaron a viajar a Europa. En Londres, en la Tate Gallery (por alguna razón me encontraba sola allí), entré en las salas con todas las grandes obras de Turner. Nunca había oído hablar de él, pero me maravillaba mientras estudiaba pintura tras pintura.
Luego descubrí a Mark Rothko. Su concepto de que la pintura envolviera al espectador influyó en mi primera serie de pinturas grandes y meditativas.
También me fascina Jackson Pollock por sus expresiones gestuales que parecen dar sentido a su locura. Él me inspiró a comenzar a trabajar en el suelo. También debo mencionar a Josef Albers. Sus estudios de color me ayudaron a perfeccionar mi uso de las yuxtaposiciones de colores.
De niña, siempre estaba pintando. Para la gran angustia de mi madre, mi cuarto estaba lleno de proyectos y repleto de materiales para arte y manualidades: pinturas, papel, pinceles, pegamentos, telas y esteras de marcos. Mis profesores de arte me animaron muchísimo. Mi mejor recuerdo de la escuela primaria fue el tercer grado, cuando por fin pude usar un salón de arte real. El primer día, en mi primer cuadro, usé todos los colores que pude encontrar, y saturé el papel hasta que se deslizó al suelo en una masa marrón pegajosa. En la escuela secundaria, comencé el club de arte, en parte porque me permitía pasar el periodo de estudio en el salón de arte.
Resume
Individual Exhibitions
Calibishie, Dominica March 2012
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover NH December 2002
Gifford Medical Center, Randolph VT February 2002
New Canaan Country School, New Canaan CT Winter 2002
One World Gallery, Stamford CT Fall 2001
Mist Grill Gallery, Waterbury VT Summer 2001
Latham Memorial Gallery, Thetford VT January 2001
Vermont State Supreme Court, Montpelier VT November 2000
Collis Student Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH Spring 1998
Batchelder Artist Studio, Plymouth NH Winter 1995
Lightgate Gallery, Thetford VT Fall 1994
Upcountry Art Gallery, Grantham NH Spring 1989
Gallery Oshun, Lebanon NH Fall 1989
Peter Christian’s, Hanover NH Winter 1989
Museum Realty, Cambridge MA Fall 1988
United States National Arboretum, Washington DC* Summer 1986
Torreon de la Iglesia, Mojacar, Spain Winter 1985, Spring 1986
United States Embassy, Rabat, Morocco 1983 and 1984
American Language Center, Rabat, Morocco Spring 1983
Group Exhibitions
Galeria Botello, Viejo San Juan 2013-2017
Galleria Betances Sur, Mayaguez Puerto Rico 2014-2017
Stratton Mountain Arts Festival, Stratton VT 2002
Expressing the Inexpressible, Artist’s Response to Sept 11, Spring/Summer 2002
Traveling Exhibition
Night Owl Gallery, Rutland VT 2001
Chafee Gallery, Rutland VT Various 2001-2003
Juried Exhibitions
Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester VT Various 2001-2003
Chaffee Gallery, Rutland VT Various 2000-2003
Studio Place Arts, Barre VT (Abundance Show) July 2001
Art of the Northeast, Silvermine Guild, New Canaan CT Spring 1996
Art Prospect 1995, La Jolla CA Fall 1995
Viridian Gallery, 6th National Juried Exhibition, New York NY- Summer 1995
Wisconsin Women in the Arts, National Juried Exhibition Spring 1995
Art Show 88, Norwich University, Montpelier VT Fall 1988
Connecticut Painter’s and Sculptor’s Annual, Stamford CT Spring 1986
Exposicion de Navidad, Centro Cultural, Mojacar, Spain Winter 1985
Prizes
Studio Place Arts, Barre VT (Abundance Show), 3rd prize July 2001
Wisconsin Women in the Arts, National Juried Exhibition 3rd prize Spring 1995
Art Show 88, Norwich University, Montpelier VT, 1st prize Fall 1988
Exposicion de Navidad, Centro Cultural, Mojacar, Spain 1st prize Winter 1985
Gallery Affiliations
Galeria Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico 2013-
Chafee Gallery, Rutland, Vermont 1995-2002
Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, Vermont 1998
Director, Mist Grill Gallery, Waterbury, Vermont, 2001- 2003
Curator, Expressing the Inexpressible, Artist’s Response to Sept 11, Traveling Exhibition, Spring/Summer 2002
Education
Rosemary Hall, Greenwhich Ct class of 1965
Villa mercede, Florence Italy 1965/66
Bachelor of Arts, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, class of 1970
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH 1991/1992
Some of my teachers:
Robert Reed, yale university, at The Silvermine Guild , connecticutlate 1980’s
Ushima, wook cuts at Sarah Lawrence College 1968/69
Dzubas, Sarah Lawrence College 1968/69
Iya Itagaki, Caligraphy artist, throughout the 1990’s
Toshiki Phippes, Shiatsu Master, 1990’s through 2002
Ochazania, African Dance 1987- 2003
I also wrote a book
Available on amazon.com
Saying What Needs to Be Said
A personal journey of healing and recovery.
Written for the average reader. Also useful for therapists
A multilayered holistic approach.
Part 1 describes what happened to me before and after I was attacked outside my house in Dominica, three days before my 65th birthday.
Part 2 talks about some interesting consequences of trauma in the world, including research on how trauma is handed down generation to generation and what that implies.
Part 3 combines psychology and neurobiology to give a picture of what happens in the brain and body after trauma: what goes wrong, why it goes wrong.
Part 4 covers numerous strategies for recovering from trauma, high stress, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It includes meditation, mindfulness, sensori-motor approaches, diet, exercise, homeopathy, herbs, art and movement techniques, all with a focus on trauma recovery.
Elizabeth Edgerton is an internationally exhibiting fine artist, herbalist, lifetime yoga practitioner, shiatsu practitioner, organic farmer, avid reader and drummer, as well as student of shamanic practices.
She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville New York in 1970 concentrating on psychology, biology, and art. She studied for her Master of Arts in Liberal studies at Dartmouth College.