ARTIST STATEMENT
Instead of traditional canvases my mixed media pieces are leather stretched over a wood panel. I manipulate the surface by forming, carving and painting. The natural properties of leather give a unique appearance when painted. Finally, I embed stones and other natural elements into the piece.
The reason I have chosen “Dandelion Salad” for my submissions to “Mine, Yours, Ours-Kitchen Familial Stories is not immediately evident. I grew up in a suburban typical 50’s household, where unusual and ethnic foods were not eaten by many people I knew. They relished their tuna fish casseroles, frozen dinners, frozen pot pies and fish sticks. My mother prepared Slovakian dishes to please my father, Oomachka, apple strudel and things I could never introduce to my classmates. My father caught rabbits in his Have-a-Heart trap and butchered them in the basement with me looking on curiously. He bought cases of cabbages and cucumbers and made crock pickles and sauerkraut.
Avid gardeners, the yard was filled with raspberry, gooseberry and currant bushes. We maintained apple, pear and peach trees. They carried on a lifestyle of food, foreign to my neighborhood, which forbade vegetable gardens in the front yard. To me, this food was healthy and delicious. I moved to the “country” and continued this tradition, growing food and sharing my love of different cuisines with friends and family. And wherever I have lived there are plenty of dandelions for dandelion salad.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mary Ellen Sisulak’s early education included encaustic, etching, life drawing and metalwork. Furthering her skills she received a BFA in Painting from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She moved to rural Door County, WI in 1974 to be closer to nature and to carve out a life as an artist. In 1986 she opened Turtle Ridge Gallery in Ellison Bay.
For 35 years Turtle Ridge handcrafted design studio and juried art shows became her source of income. She developed a line of handcrafted handbags, wearable art and pieced wall art. In 2002 she received a grant to paint and journal about her neighbor, the Mink River Nature Preserve. This started the transition to full time painting. An addition to her studio gallery in 2018 provided the space for her to show her mixed media paintings, encaustics and etchings. Active in the arts community, she developed Ellison Bay Arts to promote arts in Northern Door County. A collaboration led to transforming a neglected lot in her town into a park with murals and landscaping. Anxious to inspire others about creating, she started a series of “Art Camps” at Turtle Ridge Gallery. Recently, she collaborated with Write On Door County, creating 22 etched bench plaques honoring donors. This year, her piece, “Artifact” received “The Gerhard Miller Award” for Excellence at the Miller Art Museum. She is represented by Edgewood Orchard Gallery, Fish Creek, The Encaustic Art Museum, Santa Fe, and Turtle Ridge Gallery.
© Mary Ellen Sisulak