Ellen Ranson

"My work aims to perform the arrogance and ego associated with the Abstract Expressionist male painter archetype.”

Ellen Ranson’s work possesses the energy and vigour that is representative of the arrogance and ego commonly associated with male artists, prominent within the Abstract Expressionist movement. A desire to challenge and question this dominant male profile and rhetoric informs her physically powerful, expressive works. Her paintings capture a hunger for greater recognition, and for the rebalancing of representation of others within art, and the world more widely. The strong, confident, rhythmic brush strokes suggest ease of application. Yet the pace of composition is carefully considered and the use of colours follows a systematic approach. Layering and depth is created by the use of all manner of domestic brushes from brooms, to mops. The deployment of household paint, in addition, creates a contemporary snapshot in time, often reflected in the titles of the work inspired by their retail paint names, for example: Ripe Peach, Super Pink Hush and Sweet Pea.

Within galleries, paintings are granted different levels of prominence and credibility. Gallery and museum spaces are typically dominated by white male artists’ paintings, many of which represent the female figure through the male gaze. Abstract Expressionism is emblematic of these issues, whereby female artists of the era were marginalised and disregarded, whilst male artists rose to prominence. This blueprint can be applicable to contemporary patriarchal power structures.

Ellen Ranson graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art from Northumbria University in 2018 and was the recipient of the Painting Fellowship at the University the following year. In 2018 she was awarded the John Crisp Prize for Innovative work in Painting.

UKNA Projects:

The Viewing Room: Somewhere between reality and obscurity