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Elaine Fraticelli’s Bio:

I’m a naturalist and a born artist who also loves writing, hiking, and watching movies in my spare time. I’m currently located in Missoula, MT, creating art in a small studio space downtown and managing a retail store for a local company. I’m continually interested in community, psychology, ecology, and how humanity can better integrate with itself and the earth. I graduated from UM with my BFA in 2016 and immediately was in a car accident that changed my life. My personal experiences with loss, physical and emotional therapy, interpersonal relationship struggles, and challenging environments, has influenced how I view current issues in the world today. Making art about what I see and experience helps me process both difficult and joyous occasions. My aim is to visually translate my knowledge and experiences into new and beautiful art pieces that expand our understanding of reality.

Her Practice:

My work leans towards surreal collage as I often use juxtaposed images in my compositions to compare or emphasize. My favorite moments come when I’m weaving a web of complexities in my work, and creating visual comparisons that are new and exciting. I use a variety of media to bring life to my visual translations, often mixing styles and techniques to expand on what my art can become. I’m well practiced in painting and drawing but also enjoy using nontraditional materials such as digital art, relief sculptures, and found objects. I regularly start a project by doing research to expand my knowledge and understanding of a theme or current issue I’m captivated by. Then I distill these ideas into images to create emotional compositions that are intended to broaden perspectives. I draw inspiration and knowledge from attending artist talks and workshops as well as following scientists and other artists on social media. My main muse has always been mother earth and the life she creates and destroys; the beauty and chaos she contains. Bringing her motifs and images into my work to relate our human struggles to hers is one way I create beauty out of painful or heavy topics and experiences. I recognize my own bias and privilege as a cis, white, female when creating work about social issues I have no direct experience with and I seek to amplify the voices I’ve learned from when bringing my work into privileged places. My work has been accepted for several solo and group gallery exhibitions as well as numerous smaller show opportunities in my local community. As I grow, my work grows and changes and I always welcome all opportunities to learn more.

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