'Vermillion/Vermillion' open to interpretation - Published in Seattle Times, June 21, 2016.
 The names of Ellen Ziegler’s creations won’t give you a clue as to what the picture might be about. This is “Vermilion Series II, #2.” The energetic shapes in the abstract exhibit at Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar are untethered to reality. | The voluptuous pink paintings of Ellen Ziegler, now on view at Vermillion on Capitol Hill, depict roly-poly floating objects that are unmoored from everyday reality. Like other artists who practice dimensional abstraction, Ziegler skillfully uses the tools of realism, like shading and perspective, to make her creations look solid and convincing, but they aren’t depictions of anything in particular. What they lack in familiarity, however, they make up with their highly kinetic visual energy. Ziegler’s creatures billow like clouds, writhe like eels, sprout appendages and spray out excretions; they suggest, among other things, various life forms, both large and microscopic. Everything is painted in the same shade of red, and part of the show is devoted to an illustrated discussion of the type of red in question — vermilion — and its long and rich history. Ziegler also posts a short homage to Vermillion the venue, the bar/gallery that is hosting the current show and ended up with this exhibit partly because of the coincidence of names. |
