Elaine Florimonte is drawn to the simplicity and consistency of the horizon, specifically the proportions of sky, water and ground in paintings comprising her solo exhibition, The Pursuit of Balance at Touchstone Gallery, February 2018. Through her use of acrylic media and collage, she creates landscape images in an effort to find balance in an ever shifting world.
The shift includes not only weather, but also our current capricious American reality. Each new sunrise seems to throw light on a new set of circumstances with which we must try to digest and respond to. Our world continues to rock back and forth in terms of political and cultural shifts that make us question our own ethical compass. In the studio Elaine found stability by painting landscapes--focusing on the horizon at the beginning of each painting. Even so, a horizon may shift and then reassert itself. Sometimes the foreground slides into background and line wanders in and out of focus as the weather changes or clouds ascend in dominance. While the horizon is relatively stable, the space can be ambiguous. Through her vigorous brushwork Elaine creates layered compositions that cover and reveal the history of her creative process and ultimately her pursuit of balance.
The Pursuit of Balance will be on exhibit at Touchstone Gallery in Washington, DC from January 31-February 25, 2018. www.touchstonegallery.com
901 New York Ave NW, Washington DC 202-347-2787; Wed-Fri 11-6; Sat-Sun 12-5
