Dana Ellyn

www.danaellyn.com

NOTABLE EXHIBITS MISP Museum St Petersburg, Russia Grotesque in Art exhibit American Visionary Art Museum Baltimore, MD Shock & Awe exhibit Sesow portrait PUBLIC ART The Fred resort St. Croix, US Virgin Islands Featured in Food & Wine magazine Photos of work in progress Morris Bar Washington, DC see photos PROJECTS Heritage Trail project DC history paintings CLICK HERE to see project 31 Days in July 2003-2013 View project follow DANA ELLYN on Facebook

 

 

Email: dana@danaellyn.com

There is a daring allegorical uniqueness to a Dana Ellyn painting. Bright colors attract... skillful composition with contemporary motifs illicit an emotional reaction. Dana Ellyn is a story-teller, a modern day town crier, documenting current events.

Interviews & Articles

"Dana's "BANNED" exhibit ... is a striking meditation on the uncomfortable truths many would prefer stay hidden, or worse, black-lines out of existance, each painting raising many question" -Jenn Larsen, We Love DC (July 2010)

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"Resurrecting the spirit of the Inquisition in times of infamy is, to date, one of the most outstanding merits of this artist whose unique view of religions, has made her bring her own torment upon herself: insults, damnations and death threats. Although it should not be necessary to say it, we will say it anyway: this series, "Divinely Irreverent", was always intended as a satire rather than an offense. Still, many Catholics vehemently attacked their author after she took part in Blasphemy Day last September 30th in Washington. From that day, her mailbox was full of threats and reproaches, and the State media, apart from censuring her, gave her a bitersweet protagonism that she would have never imagined. The cause of all this stirring, the magnificient Dana Ellyn, takes it easy." -Hugo Izarra, Standdart Magazine (August 2010)

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"D.C. artist Dana Ellyn documents the political, social and cultural events of the day with the humor of a satirist, the mind of an informed citizen and the color and brush strokes of an engaging artist who is serious about her work. Her commentary on the 2008 presidential race and the self-inflicted crippling of U.S. financial behemoths is as timely and vital as anything the SNL cast could dream up, and if you've seen any of her Sarah Palin paintings - "Gunning for the White House" or "Sarah's Three Ring Media Circus" trilogy, you would know that Tina Fey isn't the only person giving Mrs. Palin a proper satirical skewering." -Laura Horsley, Rough Copy (November 2008)

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"Ellyn opens eyes through lushly hued, wickedly witty renderings of the infamous and the ignored. She details the figures with devious precision and hits the bull's-eye with the eyes, those windows to the soul ... or for the soulless, that creamy nougat center." -Robin Tierney, DC Examiner (Sept 16, 2008)

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"Ellyn's reaction to their less-than-enthusiastic tour group is No Place Like Home, a tall portrait of a pained-looking American in a Dorothy costume, clutching a McDonald's cup and a Chinese fan, surrounded by fascinated Chinese schoolchildren. The artists' styles contrast especially in how they, as Westerners, portray the eyes of their Chinese subjects....Ellyn's are sunken and dark." -Maura Judkis, Washington City Paper (Aug 29, 2008)

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"Political painter Ellyn....painted and drew what (she) saw there, ending up with documentary-style works that capture factory workers, daily life and even an impression left by Mao. " -Washington Post (Aug 23, 2008)

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"The books might have something to say about Ellyn's artistic commentary, especially since most uphold a view on either religion, politics, family or society in general." -Lauren Hodges, Encore Magazine (May 14, 2008)

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"Ellyn's paintings are more of a MAD Magazine or Tim Burton level of naughtiness. Critical concepts tearing apart respected American deities are visually neutralized by a kind of 1950s rockabilly style, like how the potentially perverted stuff in Disney goes unnoticed because of the superficially sincere pastel color palate and tradition of every character having oversized, shallow, blameless eyes. This balance, the tension that Ellyn toys with in each painting, along with their simplicity, is what makes them so effective. " -Isabel Heblich, Star News (May 14, 2008)

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"Her art is fantastic, ranging from social and political commentary to... well, almost all of what's on her site has some sort of social and political commentary. What separates her art from some other politically motivated pieces is that her work is not completely straightforward. There is a lot to take in and it keeps my attention longer than I think it will." -Posting/review on DC Metroblogging

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"I tell stories, I document history, I express my reactions to the world through my paintings. Although not as readily accepted (as the decorative arts), I believe it holds an undeniably vital place in American culture." -Interview with Dana Ellyn from Black Cat Bone

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"She is a rather incredible artist whose vision and work is political, social and always meaningful. Her style is interesting in that the details are all meaningful. Nothing is there as decoration or as a purely aesthetic element. The subjects of Ellyn's paintings are cutting and painful at times, often with a humorous touch, and are always moving. She doesn't make "pretty" paintings but they are all beautiful in how they convey theirs messages." -Posting/review on DC Metroblogging

"Every day that month, the duo would scour the front page of the Washington Post, then get busy putting their brushes to canvas, each illustrating their own colorful-yet-totally-sick-and-twisted views on the day's news" -Chris Shott, Washington City Paper

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"Dana Ellyn is peeling away the art school compulsion to make, and hide behind, pretty pictures." - Jim Magner, The Hill Rag

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"(Ellyn's paintings are) extremely acidic, caustic and pointed commentaries with provocative titles married to insane figurative paintings." - Review of ArtOMatic

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"Dana Ellyn's wonderfully, almost cartoon-like figures, with their deft ideas and imagery..." - Tony Harvey, "The Intowner"

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"The news stories are springboards for what, considered as a whole, is a quintessentially D.C. endeavor: art that comments on world affairs" - Matthew Summers, Washington City Paper

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"[One] of the most extraordinary and dedicated fulltime artists I have come across in Washington, DC... " - Jeannie Smith, Poetic Inhalation

"Censorship is nothing new for Ellyn. Two years ago, she says, her painting, titled Pick 3, was removed from the National Press Club after members complained about the image, which depicted a young girl tugging on her wedgied underwear." - Chris Shott, Washington City Paper

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The Washington City Paper, caught wind of my story about my painting, "Exposed", that was pulled from a show at the GW University Breast Care Center in May 2004. He interviewed me and wrote the following article. Unfortunately, after a heated debate among City Paper editors, they decided not to run the story due to worries that it was "insensitive."

"What's important to me is painting. I want to leave behind a body of work that documents my life and the times I experienced." - Dana Ellyn, Interview with Cool Town Studios

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All images copyright Dana Ellyn