CV of Ellen Lustig – Painting

                       CV of Ellen Lustig – Painting shows a lifelong history of Ellen’s Pop Surrealism paintings from childhood to present.

                                                                                                                                Early Career

I have had a long and prosperous career as a versatile artist. My passion of creating art began with taking formal painting lessons when I was ten years old. The love I had  with surrealism started when I was 13 years old. My paintings were laden with bizarre subject matter and unusual motifs. I gradually expanded my color palette to include whimsical and cartoonish hues, which led to the creation of pop surrealist paintings.  At the age of 16, I made the decision to pursue my hobby of caricature drawing professionally. I continue to provide entertainment as a caricaturist at business events, weddings, parties, in addition to studio work. I am witty, charming, and fast to strike up conversations which puts my subjects at ease while I draw them. When I hand over the finished caricature, the response is always laughter which is so gratifying to me. I attended colleges across the nation to study art during my undergraduate career. At the California College of Arts and Crafts, I was awarded a painting grant. Making oversized food sculptures was my focus as I was finishing my final year of college in the Bay Area. The food sculptures became the subject of my work for the next 9 years. Deson Zaks Gallery in Chicago and Hokin Galleries in Chicago, Palm Beach, and Bay Harbor, Florida were the first to represent me. In the end, Allen Stone Gallery in New York took representation of me. It has been a great testimonial to my work that my paintings and sculptures have been included in major national galleries as well as collective museum shows.

Recent Career

I also paint custom murals in addition to my caricature business, which includes creating unique puppets with caricatures. The murals that I have been hired to paint range from imaginative children’s rooms to architectural decor and Trompe L’oeil illusions. Since many of my work are site-specific, I have had to adapt to a wide range of styles. My murals’ main goal is to improve the area I’m working on. My most recent creation is a digital multi-media installation that combines sculptures, music, and an animated projected video. The sculptures have programmable LED lights and laser-cut and embossed acrylic. The sculptures are flat, yet due to an optical illusion, they seem to be three-dimensional. Some of the sculptures are wall pieces, while others are free standing. I’ve had five gallery exhibitions and was also a recipient of a grant for Art Prize in Grand Rapids Michigan. Presently, I continue to show my work. Also, I have been working part time at Caring Arts Foundation providing healing arts and craft projects for oncology outpatients and their families. This work is at hospitals and also health facilities in the Chicago area. In my free time, I play keyboard Blues music with other musicians at numerous venues throughout the Chicago area.