January 2004: Elissa Knoper & Beth Mills

Elissa Knoper works in oils on canvas and board, as well as gouache and ink on board.  In her paintings Knoper' subject matter centers on characters, both animal and human, culled from sources of life, memories, books and dreams.  She creates a narrative start to a story, but does not give the plot away.  In the same vein, she evokes both seriousness and humor.

Beth Mills ceramic sculptures come to life as figures arise or struggle out of the box which is their base.  Spontaneity is evident as the lightly glazed and stained clay is combined with fabric padded inserts.  Mills has been influenced by Native American and African sculpture, dance, mythology as well as storytelling.  This series is about the shattering of the ego and the finding of the voice.