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Textures are Elaine Fleck’s passion, specifically the patterns of nature. With printed, multi-layered fabric, she has developed a technique that allows her to accomplish her vision of merging her fascination with the compositions of nature and specifically plants, with her love of painting. Each work has as its foundation pieces of fabric placed with matte medium which give them a textured quality and as the painting unfolds, she meticulously incorporates the patterns in the cloth with oil paints to bring the images into focus.
Born into a military family, Fleck has traveled widely and enjoyed the colors and textures of many cultures which contribute to giving the paintings their vibrant and deeply textured quality. She holds a BFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as further art training from the San Francisco Art Institute and City College of San Francisco. Her 2021 and 2022 solo shows include the Columbus Cultural Arts Center in Columbus Ohio, the Washington Arts Club in Washington D.C. and the Alexander/Heath Contemporary Gallery in Roanoke, Virginia.
Her inspirations come from an endless array of designs that she blends with oils to create her paintings and she continues to be inspired and fascinated by this process
Born into a military family, Fleck has traveled widely and enjoyed the colors and textures of many cultures which contribute to giving the paintings their vibrant and deeply textured quality. She holds a BFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as further art training from the San Francisco Art Institute and City College of San Francisco. Her 2021 and 2022 solo shows include the Columbus Cultural Arts Center in Columbus Ohio, the Washington Arts Club in Washington D.C. and the Alexander/Heath Contemporary Gallery in Roanoke, Virginia.
Her inspirations come from an endless array of designs that she blends with oils to create her paintings and she continues to be inspired and fascinated by this process
The Interview
At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to become an artist? Did the realization emerge slowly?
I knew that I wanted to commit to being an artist around age 24. I didn’t feel this way when I was in Art school but during the year after I graduated, I decided to study art history in a more in depth and thoughtful way and this helped me considerably to dedicate myself to making art. In short, I think that it was a quick realization.
How did you evolve your style and favorite mediums?
My style of painting has evolved slowly since I was a teenager. At 16 years old I would study an old masters painting, cut up pieces of magazine print, and reassemble the pieces back together as the painting. At some point around age 17 I decided that my paintings needed more texture and so I began investigating working with fabric. In October of 1975 my needlepoint “Picnic on the Fourth” was the 2nd place winner in the Ladies Home Journal needlepoint contest out of 3,000 applicants nationwide. This was the season that I entered art school and so for the next 3 years I put the fabric aside. After I graduated, I picked up where I had left off until one day when I experimented with applying fabric directly to canvas with acrylic matte. For the first 20 years I painted with fabric and acrylics and for the last 20 years I have enjoyed using fabric and oils.
What are your time management techniques? Do you have regular working hours...or favorite times to work?
I had to look up what “time management” means in order to answer this question! I try to commit to 5 hours when I go to the studio and so I would describe myself as moderately disciplined. I paint when the natural light is at its strongest so I usually work between 10-4pm. I also paint in silence since I gave up listening to the radio. My studio doesn’t have the most comfortable of working conditions-cold in the Winter and hot in a Virginia Summer so the seasons make a big difference in when I am in the studio.
Do you work on more than one piece at a time, or primarily just on one?
I sometimes work on as many as 6 paintings at one time. It has taken me over 40 years to understand my “process” and what I mean by that is that I wait for images and changes to come to me instead of forcing them. Therefore, I work on smaller less difficult paintings while I wait for that “aha!” moment for the more important paintings.
What would you say is your biggest influence--that which keeps you working, regardless of all else, your most steadfast motivation?
The two driving forces that motivate me to practice my craft is the very strong belief I have in my vision of painting combined with the feeling I get from emptying my mind and enjoying the act of painting. I enjoy the peaceful place that I reach when I work with fabric and oils.
Does trying something new and not knowing the rules -- the boundary pushing -- create anxiety or excitement in you? (Or both?)
Ah, the not knowing the rules and the anxiety it causes! Pioneering is always difficult and I have never known it to be otherwise. I will say that now that I have many years behind me as an artist, the boundary pushing does not come close to causing the anxiety that it once did. However, I would be deceiving myself if I thought I would never have anxiety about breaking rules going forward.
Do you enjoy having the "duality of both chaos and control" or are you happiest with a set plan?
My paintings begin with the act of laying down an assortment of printed fabric pieces and so there is a great deal of chaos. I am at my happiest during this period since I don’t have the burden of anatomical problems or perspective problems to deal with. With the more complex paintings I always have a preliminary drawing to keep me on track. In short, I guess I like the chaos best of all.
Do you have any projects or events forthcoming?
I am currently working on a three paneled painting of three kites flying. The middle panel depicts a Balinese bird and the two other canvases depict human kites. I figure that since I enjoy flying in my dreams I may as well paint it. I’m also re-working some older paintings since I’m not satisfied with them yet.
Puck’s Dream,
2022, fabric and oils, 18x18
2022, fabric and oils, 18x18
Deer Hunting with Baby Jesus
2020, fabric and oils, 24x30
2020, fabric and oils, 24x30
A Pandemic Scene
2020, fabric and oils, 15x22
2020, fabric and oils, 15x22
The Sun, the Moon, and Me
2022, fabric and oils, 24x36
2022, fabric and oils, 24x36