Wendy Ellertson was born in San Francisco, CA, and grew up in the Bay Area, Chicago, and Cleveland. She holds degrees from Stanford University, Boston College, and studied at the Cleveland Art Institute. She has been an active member of the fine craft community for over fifty years, dancing around and through many media categories always accompanied by her figures which incorporate leather, clay, wood and a deliciously eclectic array of contemporary and ancient materials, techniques and dreams. She exhibits her work across the U.S. at fine craft shows, in galleries, and in museum shows.
Wendy’s work (like that of many artists) defies easy categorization. She calls herself a visual storyteller. The importance of story, listening closely to each others’ stories and to those embedded in materials and objects is a key ingredient in her art. She enthusiastically supports story telling in all its varied forms.
Her studio and home are in Roxbury, MA – where in 1967 she and her husband, Jon, both Westerners at heart, bought two c.1840 houses needing major work (sort of a 1 cent sale in the Boston neighborhood where houses were being abandoned) intending to stay just a few years. They raised four children and occasionally some chickens and rabbits. To their surprise, they now find themselves community elders with history, memory, stories, and spring tomato plants to share. (They are still re-habing their houses in their “spare” time.) Wendy is a strong supporter of local Roxbury artists and leads workshops for adults and children in the community.
To hear Wendy talk about her life journey in her own words - check out her interview on The Modern Romantic Podcast
Recorded Feb 5, 2024, but now available on most podcast platforms.
Each of us sees life through our own web of experience, passions and inclinations. As artists we aim to make sense of the world through story, practice, and our hands. The following experiences have contributed to the evolution of my work and to my deep connection to myth, storytelling, and flight.
Wendy Ellertson Studio
76 Thornton Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts 02119, United States
Copyright © 2022 Wendy Ellertson - All Rights Reserved.
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I hope everyone had a wondrous summer full of adventure and that you are ready to energetically enter the Fall season. My summer was busy with travel, family visits ...and exploring new sculptural ideas. I hope to see you at one of my Fall shows - online, or in person in Roxbury, Northampton or New York City!