"Elaine captures Charleston, and I don't mean just the images. She paints the charm and southern hospitality. She paints those gorgeous moments in the morning or the glorious sunsets that anchor those of us that live here. She paints the way we feel when we round a corner or a bend and are faced with the extraordinary beauty of this area. Take a piece of Charleston home with you so that in those quiet moments you can be transported back to the land of charm and flowers and great memories."
Elaine Hruska
"Golden Spartina" 16" X 20.5" $2,900
Elaine Hruska's love of Japan developed over a period of 20 years. After many visits, Hruska began to understand and appreciate the Japanese celebration of the beauty of nature, the prime source of inspiration in Japanese visual arts and literature. Observing the Japanese artistic sensibility and how it is an integral part of daily life had a profound and long-lasting effect on Elaine's philosophy and artistic endeavors.
Like the Impressionists, through the medium of pastel, Hruska records the beauty of flowers, birds and other scenes from nature with vibrant colors. Like the Japanese painters, Hruska expresses the natural cycle and inevitability of change, fundamental concepts of Shinto and Buddhism. For example, blossoming flowers or trees represent spring, and a hazy and humid atmosphere indicates summer.
"Stream of Reflections" 17" X 21" $2,900
"Mystical Marsh" 9" X 13" $1,850
Hruska has a unique technique that she developed to pull the viewer into the third dimension of her paintings. Mary Martin states that "viewers often ask how the artist created this illusion." It is a deliberate approach taken by Hruska to distinguish her work from other pastel artists.
With 19th century globalization, the enthusiasm for Japanese art, or "japonaiserie", spread and widely influenced many Impressionist artists such as Degas, Renoir, Pissaro and Gauguin. Claude Monet was particularly attracted to and influenced by Japanese culture and artistic expression. Many elements of Monet's garden at Giverney were based on Japanese design. Monet's "Water Lilies" have been recognized as the preeminent expression of the Impressionist's affinity for Japanese art.
"On A Clear Summer Day...." 18" X 24" $3,300
"Sullivan's Old Iron Tree" 20.5 X 22" $2,900
The Impressionists were drawn to the vivid coloration of Japanese prints and strived to achieve similar bright color tones by blending primary-color oil paints. Frustrated by the often "muddy" results, instead of blending the pigments, the French artists applied unmixed colors to their canvas either in layers or side by side, letting the viewer's eye do the "mixing."
In her pastel paintings, Hruska embraces this labor-intensive layering technique in order to attain vibrancy and brilliance yet retains the delicate subtleties so admired in Impressionism. Although starting off with oils, the luminosity and brilliance of pastel was enticing. "Artists have the need to create! If I can't be painting with a pastel or drawing with a pen, I'm doing so with my eyes!"
Degas and other Impressionists enthusiastically used pastel. Mary Cassatt, who created most of her most important works using pastel, is credited for introducing Impressionism and pastels to the United States. Pastels are popular in today's fine art world due to their brilliance and luminosity.
"Plantation Colors of Spring" 12.5" X 17" $2,900
"Southern Comfort" 12" X 16" $1,900
Pastel is not chalk; it is pure ground pigment, the same pigment used in making all fine art paints. Individual particles of pastel reflect light like a prism. Pastels will not darken, yellow or crack; those dating back to the 16th century maintain their color and vibrancy.
Since age 15, when Elaine turned to her father and suddenly declared, "I want to paint; take me to the art store," art has been part of her life. Hruska began her formal studies in art by attending evening classes and workshops at the Art Students League of New York and Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. She then studied under acclaimed pastel artists Joyce and Don Nagel.
"Blazing Autumn Sunset" 17" X 22.5" $2,500
"Waiting for a Bite" 16" X 18" $1,900
Traveling throughout the world on business, Hruska never left home without her sketchpad tucked inside her briefcase, allowing her to slip away and capture the very essence of the world around her. Having traveled extensively throughout Asia, Europe and South America, Elaine has a deep appreciation for the contributions each culture has made to 21st century art.
Today, a resident of Charleston, Elaine is fascinated by the dichotomy of Charleston; old world charm wrapped in the warmth of a modern cosmopolitan ambiance.
"I'm intrigued by the vibrations I see in nature caused by certain colors, and I strive to achieve those same "vibrations" by the creative use of color in my paintings."
An award-winning artist, Hruska participates in regional exhibitions and shows.
Mary Martin GALLERY 103 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 New Location Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street 843-723-0303
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