A Woman's Art

Born in Orissa, India and now living in Maryland, Das' work transcends geography. The artist uses hand-made paper, beads, gold threads and fabric to articulate a powerful female sensibility.  The images she creates are not just about adversities, isolation, displacement, physical and psychological abuse, but also of empowerment, courage and resilience.

Das' most recent work is an homage to the women artists who create a very old folk art form called "Chitta" which is exclusive to Odisha, the province in India where she was born and raised. The word "Chitta" is derived from Sanskrit, where 'chit' means eye or consciousness. This form of ephemeral artwork is done on mud walls using rice paste and just three fingers of the artist, and turns the villages into pages of an art book during the months of November and December. They are made to honor the goddess Laxmi, a benevolent figure of beauty, compassion and wealth.  It is not only a creative but and emotional outlet for the women as artists and home-makers. 

Das' collection will be on display from October 8 - November 5.

Opening Reception: October 13, 2016 / 6 PM to 8 PM

The Black Art Matters 2017 Exhibition Series at P Street Gallerie is an effort to continue and broaden the discussion around black lives matter. Simply put, Black art matters because Black Lives Matter…!

Part I featured artists include: Imar Hutchins, Marqueo, Caroline Ford-Coleman, Reshada Pullen-Jireh and Wanda Knight.

"My work is inspired by the pivotal moments of my life. Like an illustrated journal, I try to provide the viewer with detailed accounts of my personal story. I am completely self-taught and combine unconventional watercolor skills with my imagination, to create whimsical interpretations of my experiences."

Dana Ellyn is a DC resident and full-time painter who lives and paints in her studio in a subsidized artist housing unit in downtown Washington DC. Ellyn committed herself to full-time status in 2002 when she decided to leave her corporate job and pursue painting. Her work is exemplified by a risk-taking vision, strong content, and colorful critiques of social norms. 

Ellyn's style sits on the fence between social realism and expressionism. Having spent her childhood and college years honing her skills and striving to be technically correct, she continually works toward unlearning those restrictive habits. Ellyn strives to infuse more emotion and meaning in to each new painting she creates.

Ellyn's paintings have stories to tell and opinions to profess. On canvas, she expresses her thoughts on a number of controversial topics, including religion, politics and most recently veganism. Ellyn's process involves a lot of study, a lot of quiet. She credits her childhood, spent mostly alone and in solitude, as the foundation for the works she creates today. Ellyn invites the viewer to stop, pause, and "read" each of her paintings.

From childhood until about the age of 30, Ellyn was quiet and reserved. She has now found her voice and she is making up for lost time.

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Neighborhood Heritage Trails

In October 2013, Dana Ellyn began a recent painting project. She used the Cultural Tourism DC Neighborhood Heritage Trail guides to inspire a new series of paintings.