A fuller look: Ellen Finks’ Journey to Joy: a Change in Mind--Classical Flutist to Abstract Painter

Yesterday's episode notes for Ellen Fink's "B Inspired" appeared to tease our readers' interest in the full story of my visit to Ellen's home that appears today! Much to inspire!

by Jane Stahl

Every now and then, when you think you know someone, they surprise you! A happy surprise happened to me recently in a visit with Ellen Finks at her home. I have known Ellen as a Studio B artist member who has been exhibiting at Studio B regularly for years.

Ellen’s home on a wooded lot is a work of art itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows in her kitchen/living room space allow a refreshing view of the gardens and the wildlife beyond the glass.

But the inside of her home is an art gallery itself; walls and spaces are filled with her own work in a multitude of mediums, her artist mother’s work, and their collections of other artists’ works from their travels all over the world.

There’s a strong Mexican and Southwest flavor to her décor found in the tile floors and the palette of much of the artwork on display as a result of her having spent 10 years living in Mexico.

I was surprised to learn that as a retired classical musician who played the flute and piccolo for orchestras in the United States and Mexico, she was part of the University of Kutztown faculty teaching flute and chamber music and wanted to know—only after she retired—if, like her mother, she had any talent in the visual arts.

While she’s never studied art formally and had taken some drawing classes before retiring, her serious artistic journey began in painting with watercolor and taking workshops and classes in multiple mediums for 10 years with the Berks Art Alliance. “I had no shame,” she confesses. “I play around with many styles. I love to learn styles and different techniques. I feel that life’s too short to get stuck in one style and one medium.”

Ellen has always expressed gratitude for the existence of Studio B which has given her a space to exhibit her work. Plus, she appreciates the exhibit themes that challenge her to think and create art that responds to the themes.

And most recently, she shared that receiving a prize award at a recent Studio B exhibit came as a happy surprise that provided validation for her ability to create art in the abstract style. “I was frustrated; I didn’t understand abstract art,” Ellen admits. “I didn’t know how to paint an abstract or what made them successful. I mean, how do you even begin?

“As a classical musician, my mind tells me that there must be some kind of ‘order.’ Letting go of that mindset was a challenge but it happened to me in a workshop I took on creating ‘expressive intuitive abstracts.’

“It was an on-line class, and I asked the professor why she was doing a certain thing. The professor said ‘Never ask me why I do anything.’ Her response was like a kick in the head to me—told me that there were no reasons, no rules. I just had to ‘do it.’ Two weeks later, I painted the abstract that earned me a prize award at Studio B and motivated me to create 14 more small ones for an Art Walk event in Kutztown.

“The timing was perfect; I felt validated; I had a project to complete, and I’d learned not to be afraid. Acrylics—my new favorite medium—are great. If you don’t like something, you just paint over it! I just had to break out of the mindset of having to know.”

She continues, “I call my journey ‘Finding My Voice.’ As a classical musician, I had no ‘voice’ of my own; I needed to play everything correctly--‘by the rules.’ The worst thing is to make a mistake, and you can do so many things wrong: you can play the wrong note, at the wrong tempo, at the wrong time, with the wrong force.

“I love that in abstract painting there are no mistakes, just happy accidents. There are no rules; abstract painting is the antithesis of how I needed to perform as a classical musician. I love the freedom. It brings me joy. You don’t plan anything, you just let things happen. Like my life now: I don’t make plans!”

While Ellen claims she’s run out of wall space, future projects she’s considering are larger abstracts. “I do art for enjoyment. I’m not really looking to sell my work; I’ve actually given a lot of paintings away although there are pieces that I’ve exhibited that I am happy to take home after the show closes. I don’t want to ‘lose’ them.”

It's that joy I’ve seen in Ellen when she comes to pick up work at the end of a show—happy that the work hasn’t sold--that should have given me more than a hint about what motivates her. But, it was such a pleasure to learn more about Ellen who finds uncommon joy in the freedom of letting her life…and her art…surprise her!

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