Local artist inspired by Greek landscapes

While some local residents and students remained in Bloomington last weekend, they had the opportunity to be transported to Greece through artwork.

On Friday, as part of the community’s bimonthly Gallery Walk, local artist Elli Barnstone, originally from Greece, showed her collection “A Potpourri of Art” at the Venue Fine Art & Gifts.

“This is what makes Bloomington unique and attracts people here,” Barnstone said. “The fact that we have the arts, not only with the University but in the town, too. I have worked a lot for promoting the arts in town.”

Barnstone came to Bloomington in 1962, and she said the Gallery Walks are important for both the community and artists.

“It’s very important because it is a festive occasion where people go out and look at the galleries,” Barnstone said. “That way, people can see a variety of art. We really have progressed with the arts tremendously since I first came to Bloomington.”

Gabriel Colman, curator and owner of the Venue, said that in addition to benefitting knowledge of art in Bloomington, the Gallery Walks can help expand the way students think.

“I think that art stimulates the mental process,” Colman said. “I think it expands the mind, and I think that anybody that’s willing to go to school is putting themselves in the position to expand their mind, so it very well goes hand-in-hand.”

Barnstone said she draws inspiration from her backgrounds in both Bloomington and Greece.

“I discovered that Indiana is very beautiful, so my paintings have to do with the grasses and trees and landscapes of Indiana,” Barnstone said. “But also, since I’m from Greece originally, a lot my paintings have to do with the sea and the water.”

She said her works that mimic the sea are a direct result of her time spent in Greece, which she visits every summer.

“The sea, the underneath life, has been haunting me with nostalgia,” Barnstone said. “I am a sea person. I decided to express the sea, beach, land and water in a different way. I chose collage as an experimental medium.”

Colman said Barnstone’s international background is evident in her work.

“She’s done a number of series that relate to landscapes in Greece, ranging from hillsides and mountainsides to aquatic features to actual hillside fires that they’ve experienced,” he said.

Just as Barnstone said she draws inspiration from a variety of climates and cultures, the product of her inspiration, “A Potpourri of Art,” uses a variety of artistic mediums.

“We’re calling this show ‘A Potpourri of Art’ because it covers a wide range of pastels and collages and paintings that she’s done in the past 20 years,” Colman said. “It’s generally abstract impressionism. It’s generally vibrant in color with visually dark undertones.”

Barnstone said the opportunity to continue to produce art in Bloomington makes her feel alert both mentally and physically, and that she is grateful for opportunities such as the
Gallery Walk.

Bloomington’s next Gallery Walk is June 1. Nine downtown galleries participate in each walk, which is free to residents and students alike.

Barnstone said that being an artist allows her to examine the world more closely, and this benefit of painting helps her in her everyday life.

“What is beautiful about painting is it keeps you very informed when looking,” Barnstone said. “People don’t look very much. (Artists) look more intensely, and that’s beautiful.”