Ellen Pavlakos

I am a figurative sculptor who likes to work in portraiture and the human form. Working in clay or directly in plaster, stone or wax, the figure is my vehicle of expression. My goal is to utilize a creative language to express clearly my encounters with life and character of our world. The work stems from my emotional response to the human condition.

Approaching the human figure and mind with great respect, I find it an unending educational voyage that I enjoy through all stages including the search, struggles and discoveries. Sometimes I make a fast maquette to catch a fleeting thought, but most of the time when an idea has fermented in my mind I get right to making the armature. All the excitement and passion is poured in the actual piece. That doesn't mean that everything continues as the original idea. There is banding, cutting, pushing, stretching as the sculpture progresses and takes dimensional space and evolves into a tangible form.

Greek art is a strong influence. I grew up in Athens where sculpture was very visible in my every day life and had a profound effect in my awareness and love of art.