Elizabeth Congdon Oil on Linen “Gibbs Pond, Receeding Clouds“, signed lower right Congdon
18 in. x 24 in.
Overall 22 in. x 27 ½ in.

“My recent paintings explore the interplay between realist painting and human imagination. What is recognizable to the eye in representational art can serve as a departure point for looking into what many be hidden in our minds. Imagination affords us a protected place to experiment with ideas, thereby helping us to mature and evolve. All we can imagine in the private confines of our mind can challenge our limits and biases. For many years I have painted flowers, ocean, land, and interiors, as symbols of sanctuary and places to heal. In my thesis work at I have painted women in my family accessing their imaginations in order to deepen moments of introspection. They are ensconced in the exterior worlds they have designed as camouflage to protect their inner worlds. The still life with skulls represent the elegant physical structures that contain our thoughts. I have painted animal skulls to better focus on instinct—decision making at it’s most simple manifestation. Rather then expressing the macabre, I paint these bones as symbols of endurance and purity, Away from their physical living bodies, I present them in make shift altars as an act of reverence. My intention is to create images that spark the viewer’s imagination to consider new possibilities—rather than escape into fantasy or build delusions—bringing us closer to appreciating the complexities of our lives and the world around us. I believe art helps us to understand facts” ~ from Elizabeth Congdon’s artist statement