Painter Ewelina Ferruso is somewhat new on the scene but has already made a strong impact with fans, collectors and galleries alike. Juxtapoz said about her work, "...Ferruso creates magical paintings full of metaphor and texture. From polka-dotted giraffes to children playing in the dirt, Ferruso is able to capture childhood innocence and the complexities of adult life in one image.".

Creating (to be included in her upcoming solo show at Ad Hoc Art)

Her first real exposure was at Ad Hoc Art in Brooklyn, NY, as one of the participants in the July 2008 exhibition entitled, 5 Identities, 5 Destinations. The response to her work was extremely positive and has already led to several sales and offers for many future shows.

Balance (5 Identities, 5 Destinantions exhibition, July 2008, Ad Hoc Art)

After presenting a stunning piece for Dark Pop at Last Rites Gallery in Manhattan her work made it's first trip to the West Coast, where she was included in the recent Idiot Box exhibition at Gallery 1988. The painting sold immediately and is now being made into a set of limited edition prints.

Waa, the trash heap has spoken (Idiot Box exhibition, April 2009, Gallery 1988 LA)

Currently, she is working towards her next exhibition, a solo show in the project room at Ad Hoc Art (opening next month on Friday, May 15th from 7-10pm). She is creating several new paintings for this show (a few of which can be seen throughout this posting) and is poised to make a real impact on the art world with this, her first solo exhibition. Ewelina was kind enough to take a few moments out of her now busy schedule to answer a few questions about herself and her artwork.

(ewe) I won a watch in kindergarden because I drew a pretty picture. It was a Christmas scene of Mary and Jesus in the manger. I always knew that something perfectly weird was going on.

(ewe) Oh, well, I think that's a long story but I will attempt to make it a brief one. The greatest impact of growing up in a Polish family, other than the fact that I no longer eat meat, is that I was often alone, which gave me a lot of time to mess around on paper. Our family never really integrated with American culture, so, I often created my own. I heard many stories about communist Poland, WW2 and meals which consisted of lard and bread. My parents taught me that if I worked hard, anything was possible in this great American land, the land of opportunity.

(ewe) Good one Andrew. Hmmm... the answer is clear as to why I have chosen to illustrate myself as a little girl. This is because there is a naturalness that children have towards making art. They just do it, whether they are conscious of it or not. I perhaps wanted to experience that again. Children have a profound spiritual connection to the universe. That is where I wanted to begin with this creating endeavor. The girl will continue to grow but in what direction I am uncertain. She can grow older. She can certainly grow younger, or she can grow beyond human perceptions. She can grow altogether into another entity or even merge into oneness with all other beings and matter. I prefer the later and that is the direction I intend to take myself. I cannot guarantee how long it will take for me to get there.

(ewe) The giraffe is a giant plastic toy I had growing up. It was happily strange. I have made it my muse. It is a symbol of the "idea". Praying mantis's are creepy. I have often had not so pleasant encounters with them while weeding. I don't think that they like this creating endeavor I have set off on. They try to discourage me from doing it altogether. I have found, however, that the mantis's have begun to have less and less power.

(ewe) I used to make this "onion soup" when I was little from the dirt, rocks, random wildflowers, and chives in the forest. I was endlessly entertained by all of the textures that composed this soup. And so, I am also entertained by putting them on my canvases. They act as energy particles, some sort of scientific element. It's a very meditative practice actually.

(ewe) The show is the culmination of Onion Soup; a place where a little girl creates, finds a constant connection with the ground and sky and is surrounded by giraffe and texture. Mystery will unfold.

(ewe) I have found much enjoyment in this! All work is connected and ever expanding. I often will look through a sketchbook I filled in high school and am surprised at some forgotten idea that keeps weaving through my current body of work. That's how it seems to work. Nothing is separate really. I am always up for playing with something different.

(ewe) I do have favorites. Their titles are "Peace in the Garden" and "Creating". I'm sure I'll make many more favorites in the future.

Peace in the Garden (to be included in her upcoming solo show at Ad Hoc Art)

(ewe) Yes, he is the BEST critic. He has an impeccable eye for design and he's not afraid to tell me if something is off. He's also understanding of my often hermit-like ways when I am deep into a project. I am blessed to have such support.

(ewe) I will be showing with Gallery 1988 for the Crazy 4 Cult show and then a few others with them in LA and SF. I will be doing an erotic piece for The Dirty Show in Detroit which will indeed be interesting. I am truly looking forward to showing at Last Rites in 2010 with the talented Carrie Ann Baade. Most of the sketches for that are together and my heart is so happy about it. Think "tigers" and think "etherial".

The artist, Ewelina Ferruso, hard at work.