Ellen Boulanger

     Creativity is my source of spirituality, a kind of meditation, a way to shut the hasty world outside and enter into a state of utter absorption. I have always created visual art whenever I could. Painting, weaving, photography, stained glass and kiln-fired glass were art forms that I turned to throughout my life. Then I was introduced to plein air painting and I was hooked.
     Plein air painting is a way to quickly and spontaneously capture the true effects of light by painting directly from nature. Joining the Monday Morning Painters, a loosely structured Sonoma County group, provides me with the comradeship of other painters and the opportunity to paint scenery in this beautiful area where I live.
     I paint the views that surround me to capture a moment in time, to record the ever changing scenery, whether it be seasonal or man-made transformation. I paint to give voice to the pigments applied to my canvas, each painting a challenge and never-ending learning experience. I paint to bring my love of color and brush stroke to those who enjoy the music it conveys.