Elaine M. Erne
They See All
June 3–July 2, 2023

The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals is a continuing series of prints and large graphite drawings of Lanie Doll and her friends that represent individuals and their emotional relationships with themselves and others. In recurring stressful situations, people often become like dolls, putting forward a cheerful persona, no matter what is happening. The dolls encapsulate the personality of an individual and allow the artist to explore the inner workings of painful relationships without being immersed in the reality of difficult interactions. Although there is a playful side, the underlying theme is fear, cruelty, isolation, and survival. Though the situations represented are far from real, no stuffed animals were harmed in the making of the work; they capture the aura that surrounds people who on the outside appear happy, while actually experiencing deep sorrow, loneliness, and tension in their daily lives.

The layers of graphite pencil in the large drawings and dense ink in the prints create deep blacks in the space that surrounds the stuffed animals, confirming the feeling of isolation one feels when totally overwhelmed and powerless. The drawings are larger than life (the largest being 94″ x 144″) so that they surround the viewer and encapsulate them into a disturbing—but at the same time strangely whimsical—moment, causing a mixed reaction to the work.

About the artist:

Elaine M. Erne, co-founder and co-director of Star Wheel Printers, received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, and her MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Erne’s drawings and prints have been featured in numerous invitational and juried national exhibitions. She has had multiple solo exhibitions: Small Drawings and Prints, The Study, Philadelphia, PA; Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, Artworks Center for Contemporary Art, Loveland, CO; Lanie Doll and Friends, House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Mr. Bunny Misses His Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; Elaine M. Erne: Drawings and Prints, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ; Mr. Bunny and Friends, Nexus, Foundation for Today’s Arts, Philadelphia PA; The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, Bahdeebahdu Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; a Wind Challenge Exhibition, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA; and a Community Gallery Solo Exhibition, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA.

Erne is a recipient of a Dene M. Louchheim Faculty Fellowship, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA; and a Career Development Fellowship with The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, Philadelphia, PA. She was one of twenty-five artists selected by the Center of Emerging Visual Artists to represent them in their 25th Year Anniversary Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Erne won the Jane Friend Purchase Award in the Brand Associates’ 43rd Annual Works On Paper National Juried Exhibition in Glendale, CA. She is currently on the faculties of Drexel University, Moore College of Art and Design, the University of the Arts, and the Fleisher Art Memorial, all in Philadelphia, PA.