Meet Artist: Ellen Kantro

July/August 2021—“I find inspiration in many places,” says mixed media artist Ellen Kantro, the newly elected president of Art Uptown Gallery, “but in abandoned buildings and distressed surfaces in particular. I’m influenced by the patterns of decay, and how traces of time and nature re-shape our surroundings.” Her work on panel strives to hint at what was, and what still remains. 

She begins each new painting by layering the surface with simple marks, paper, random color blocks, or typographical elements. Numbers, characters, cursive hand lettering, or foreign alphabets are obscured under layers of paint, revealing themselves unexpectedly. 

“Each element informs the next, and the process becomes largely intuitive,” says Kantro. Layers of paint and paper get laid down, scraped off and painted over until a history develops. 

“Each element that I add (or remove) creates a problem that I need to solve which is both exasperating and liberating,” she says. “I enjoy building up and obliterating layer after layer. What emerges is always unpredictable and open to interpretation.” 

To view more of her works, stop by Art Uptown Gallery (1367 Main Street) or visit her website www.ellenkantro.com.