Ethel Gittlin: Our New World

Ethel Gittlin, World Needs Now, 2020, Chrome painting, spray paint/oil on wood, resin coating, 24 x 24 inches.

Artist’s Statement:

They seemed to be what I was reaching for … the next episode of what I do; Paint but with an edge. Modern. Metal. Chrome. Shiny. Resin. Wood. Words. Graffiti. Music. Nature. Culture. Emotion. Statement. Connection. Square. Re-Invention. New Vibe. But still very much Ethel Gittlin to the core.

My new paintings are spray-paint and oil on wood with a Chrome spray base and hand poured resin coating. These new works come at an incredible/uncertain time in all of our lives. In looking at the world around me, with its modern day issues, my work is expanding its themes to include more words, often graffiti looking, and street art elements. There’s brash energy and vibrant color coming together with the more serene elements of the natural world. There are messages, encryption, secrets embedded, thoughts not always completed, some partially hidden (do I dare share?) and then big bold graffiti words that matter, for all the world to see. Letting you know what I’m thinking about. Endless possibilities … My very own painting world…