Ellen Hathaway
Genre/Medium: Acrylic
Where are you from? What brought you to Charlottesville? I grew up in Washington, NC, a small town on the Pamlico River.very flat land, much different from the mountains in the Piedmont. I attended UNC/ Chapel Hill where I met and fell in love with my husband, Curtis, who hailed from Charlottesville. We married 24 years ago and have since made home right here.
What are your favorite things to do around Charlottesville? Curtis and I began making Saturday night the “date night” when our daughters were babies now both are college bound. Although time marches on, “date night” remains in tact! We usually check out a movie, sometimes music at The Pavilion especially if we find reggae, even Lowes if we have a house project, and always, always get dinner out! Love mild evenings on the downtown mall!
What inspires your creativity? Color and texture! My paintings are characteristically floral images; but really it’s as much about the infinite color play and myriad textures that can be created with acrylic additives that turn me on! And just living my life! I love being a wife and mother and find that every stage offers new creative insight. Something somewhere in those experiences holds the impetus for that next series of work.
What do you love most about what you do? Art making offers me gifts through the process and the sharing. I love getting so lost in the process that I forget time and laundry and any other responsibilities on my plate! Making art is an escape where I decompress and refresh. Much of my time painting is from an intuitive place, and for me, very meditative. And when working through technical challenges and the work presents “the way”, I feel regenerated! Then there is the whole side of sharing the art. When I hear impressions and perceptions about my paintings from others a totally new energy sparks. It’s much more fascinating to hear how someone else connects with a painting than hear myself talk about it!
What are the challenges and opportunities you face as an artist? I see myself as an emerging artist, and truly I wonder if those we see as “prolific artists” aren’t always in some stage of emergence. There’s so much to discover and I hope I’m always in a dynamic state where something new is beginning, an evolving cycle, even as the foundations of my style develop and remain. But being the creative type, I am an awful scheduler so it seems I’m always chasing time. In actuality I do consider it a blessing to have so much I want to explore and create. I think, like “Dorothy in Kansas,” my heart’s desire is right in my own art-making space.
What are your favorite ways to stay connected with the arts community in Charlottesville? When I first started painting I was directed to Central Virginia Watercolor Guild by Ashlin Smith. This guild has offered me a fertile learning ground and supportive network. Since joining PCA I have found the workshops informative and am meeting a wider circle of artists. Also New City Arts Initiative and The Garage are two forums that offer “conversations” about human nature, faith and art making. And I really enjoy singing and sometimes help with music on Sunday mornings at Christ Church. Cville truly has an energetic and diverse art scene, so again so much to do and so little time!
Don’t miss Ellen in July, where she’ll be exhibiting at New City Arts Initiative WVTF and Radio IQ Studio on Water Street.
