ELLEN GAUBE
An Artist of the Natural World

Art is my creative center.
The spirit which drives and sustains me.
     an experience, an impression.
     diversity, growth patterns and repetitive elements
     the coexistence of order and chaos.
     imperfect beauty.

Biography
Gaube was born in 1953 and is a life long resident of the northeastern United States. 
Always an artist, she developed her love of plants in her grandmother’s gardens and 
also pursued her scientific side by fossil hunting in a nearby creek bed. 
Her first profession was pharmacy followed later by a BFA in Painting from Lyme 
Academy College of Fine Arts.

Artist Statement
Having grown up with early exposure to liturgical manuscript painting and the art of 
stained glass, it was a natural progression for me to be drawnto the art of the ancient 
world, Japanese art, botanical art and Art Nouveau, among others.
My work is influenced by a large and diverse groupof artists.
A love of all things found in nature is the focusof most of my work with pencil and paper 
as tools of choice. I continue to be fascinated by the complex curves and shapes found 
in branches, vines, stems and leaves and labor to present them realistically and with 
great sensitivity. Minimalism is at the core of my drawings, presenting only that which is 
necessary to reveal what is hidden, humble and ordinary.
I've completed a series of large drawings of Oriental bittersweet, an invasive species, and 
I'm continuing with the next series of random twigs and branches contrasted with flat, 
geometric elements.
Photography has become an extension of my studies of trees, plants and flowers. During 
my hikes through nearby conservation land I seek out interesting textures, forms and colors. 
With digital manipulation I can produce abstraction which is far removed from the original 
images and which becomes  unpredictable and striking. 
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