The two artistic loves in my life have always been the visual arts and drama. As a very young child I was painfully shy. My self-esteem and confidence were boosted through my artwork, starting in early grammar school. What a blessing encouraging teachers are!
Fast forward through an academically rigorous middle school, high school and college: a Philosophy major was ultimately changed to art and drama minors with a strong academic core curriculum.
A move to New York City on my part led to serendipity jobs in art and acting; and, most importantly, to my marriage to my late husband, the painter Dan Christensen, and to the birth of our two beautiful children, now grown.
Though I was trained as a painter, and have produced painting series as diverse as seascapes and iconic lizards, the large focus of my work has been welded steel sculpture. I work in classic constructivist tradition, with roots in the work of Julio Gonzales, Picasso, David Smith and Anthony Caro. These artists have influenced the development of my own artistic language. I incorporate “found objects” into my work, but my intention is for the viewer to lose the sense of original purpose of the object, and to focus rather on its form in relation to the overall sculpture.
It is my belief that art can elevate the human spirit and bring about a connection to nature and to inner peace. We need that now more than ever.
Expand your horizons. Experience, support and buy art.
Many thanks to the photographers whose work appears on this site: Tim Lee, Gary Mamay, and Ellen Watson.
1943 Born, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1965 Earned B.A./B.F.A., University of Dallas
Solo Exhibitions: Sculpture
2016 Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY
2015 The Drawing Room, March 15th-April 28th, East Hampton, NY
2010 Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2009 Spanierman East Hampton, East Hampton, NY
2008 Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2007 Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton, NY
2003 Salander-O’Reilly Gallery, NY, NY
2002 Gallery Merz, Sag Harbor, NY
2000 CS. Schulte Galleries, Millburn, NJ
Gallery Emanuel, Great Neck, NY
1998 Dorothy Blau Gallery, Mimi, FL
1997 Millhouse Theater, Trenton, NJ
1995 CS. Schulte Galleries, Millburn, New Jersey
1994 Eva Cohen Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1992 Rene Fotouhi Fine Art East, East Hampton, New York
1990 Gloria Luria Gallery, Miami, Florida
1989 Burnie and Carlson Gallery, New York City
Recent Selected Group Exhibitions
2016
East Hampton Town: “Summer of Outdoor Sculpture” May 20th-October 15th, Springs, NY
2014
Telfair Museum, Jepson Center, “Sculpture from the Permanent Collection”, Savannah, GA
Heckscher Museum, “Long Island Biennial”, Huntington, NY
Glenn Horowitz, “Artists Writers Game Show”, Aug. 9-17th, East Hampton, NY
Ille Arts, “The Holiday Show”, Nov. 29th- Jan. 2, 2015, Amagansett, NY
2013
Spanierman Gallery, “Gallery Selections,” New York, NY
2012
Spanierman Gallery, “Fifteen Contemporary Artists”, New York, NY
Ille Arts, “The Family Show”, Amagansett, NY
Long House Reserve, “Spring Gala”, East Hampton, NY
2011
Spanierman Gallery, NYC: “Artists of the East End”9/8-10/1/11
“Fifteen Modern & Contemporary Artists”, 7/21-9/2/11
2010
Spanierman Modern, “Gallery Selections”, July 7-Aug. 7, NYC
2008
Gettysburg Festival Celebrating America, Gettysburg, PA
Sideshow Gallery, Williamsburg, NY
2007
Telfair Museum’s Jepson Center for the Arts, Savannah, GA
2006
Sideshow Gallery, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
“Inside Out” Show, Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Woodstock, NY
“Gone Local”, Amagansett, NY
“The Big Show”, Silas Marder Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
“Women’s Work”, Leif Hope’s, East Hampton, NY
“The 39th Annual Springs Artists’ Invitational, Springs, NY
The Ober Gallery, Kent, CT
2005
Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton “Artists and Nature on Eastern Long Island: 1940’s to the Present”
Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton “Art and the Garden”
Salon 81,II The Loft on Leonard, NYC
2004
Salon 81, The Loft on Leonard, NYC
Sideshow Gallery, Williamsburg, NY
Guild Hall Museum, “The Ambiguous Toy” Show, East Hampton, NY
The Springs Invitational Show, Springs, NY
Assemblage Sculpture, Avram Gallery, Southampton College, Southampton, NY
Lizan Topps Gallery, “The Landscape Show”, East Hampton, NY
2002
Sculpture at The Ross School, East Hampton, NY
Springs Invitational, Springs, NY
The Crazy Monkey, Amagansett, NY
2000
Sideshow Gallery, Williamsburg, Brooklyn “The Girl Show”& “Christmas Show”
1999
The Parrish Museum’s “36th Jurried Exhibition”, Southampton, NY
1997
The Arlene Bujese Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Teaching Experience (College Level):
1999-2000
Parsons School of Design (The New School for Social Research), NYC
Selected Bibliographic References:
Braff, Phyllis. “Flouting Tradition at 2 Shows.” New York Times, 10 Dec. 1989, Long Island Supplement
Ernst, Eric, “A Sweeping View at Two Shows”, The Southampton Press, September 11, 2003, p. B6
Haines, Jessica, “Held’s artistic vision comes to life for inaugural year of Gettysburg Festival”, Gettysburg Times-Section C, p.C4 (photo), March 19, 2008
Naves, Mario. “Currently Hanging” (review) The New York Observer, 21 July, 2003
Pilgrim, Joanne, “Elaine Grove, Sculptor, Actress, Designer”, The East Hampton Star, Sept. 9, 1999 (photos)