‘Flower Fiction’ Now on Display at CV Library
Castro Valley artist Ellen Hamilton O’Donnell
Eleven drawings from Castro Valley artist Ellen Hamilton O’Donnell’s “Flower Fiction” series are currently on display at the Castro Valley Library gallery until July 1st.
“This series of colored pencil drawings celebrates the intimate, quiet joy of looking and reclaims room for that in my life,” says O’Donnell. “I begin by placing a selection of flowers in vases on a table. I look for a long time, gradually and spontaneously making choices of which flowers, stems, and leaves I want to draw as they emerge from the mass of blooms.”
Her process to creating the artwork is organic as she states “I do not pre-design, plan, or sketch, but let the work evolve naturally and freely as I see more clearly which shapes and colors resonate with my mind’s eye. The flowers draw me in and give me a way to tap into current and stored emotions along with visual memories and influences. With time, the work takes on a life of its own; demanding that I add another blossom or two, draw leaves where there are none, or simply let the work be.”
O’Donnell holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and a BA in Humanities from St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD. In 2023, her work was exhibited at the 40th Anniversary Hayward Arts Council (HAC) show at the John O’Lague Gallery juried by Rachel Osajima and Amy Diaz-Infante Siqueiros. O’Donnell is a member of Art Inc., Castro Valley, and HAC.
