Eleanor Spiess-Ferris; OUT OF ORCHARD
Powerful Spanish and Native American cultures influence the work of Eleanor Spiess-Ferris
11/02/2017 2:00 PM
OUT OF ORCHARD at Heuser Art Gallery
October 23 – November 21
Reception Dates: November 2, 6-7:30pm
An exhibition featuring paintings by of artist Eleanor Spiess-Ferris will be on display in Heuser Art Gallery. Spiess-Ferris is an American Symbolist painter cited as a significant surrealist, narrative figurative and feminist artist. Her numerous visual works display powerful influences of the Spanish and Native American cultures of Northern New Mexico where she grew up. She populates her visual landscapes with human forms – often women paired with birds, plants, and natural phenomena. Spiess-Ferris draws deeply on her childhood in the high country of northern New Mexico.
“From my Spanish New Mexican ancestry, I have gleaned a sense of the surreal and inherited an intrinsic aptitude for the use of symbolism. This primitive insight, combined with the Western influence of artists such as 19th century symbolist Gustave Moreau, informs my artistic vision.”
-Eleanor Spiess-Ferris
Eleanor will also be speaking at the fourth biennial Midwest Women Artists Symposium, Transforming Culture and Society: Midwest Women Artists, 1960s-1980s. Eleanor’s presentation “Out of Orchard” will be held in the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center on the Bradley University campus from 11:10-11:40am.
More information and a full list of the symposium presentations can be found at iwa.bradley.edu/symposium/
View more of Eleanor’s work at: http://eleanorspiess-ferris.com
Additional funding from Mary Jean Bowman