Welcome to my site! I am a self-taught painter and artist living in Brooklyn, New York. I grew up and went to school in New Jersey, moved to St. Augustine, Florida for a break and cultural diversion, then moved back up north to live in NYC. Here I am painting a mural for Loftstel, which accommodates international students and interns in Brooklyn. It was completed in January 2008:
My interests regarding art are influenced by my studies in Sociology, Anthropology, Fine Arts, as well as by music (folk, rock, independent / experimental, & world), my heavily symbolic dreams, and travels to Europe and Africa. After I graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology - with high honors, too! - I became interested in and sought employment in the field of archaeology.
This interest brought me to southwestern Georgia, in the vicinity of the Chickasawhatchee Swamp and the Bermuda Plantation (near Edison and Leary). I met many charming people while working as a field assistant to a University of Arizona graduate student, John F. Chamblee. He was looking for Native American sites of the Mississippian era because prior to his investigation, no one had surveyed that area before.
Next, my travels in the South brought me to the Pirate Haus Inn, which is located in beautiful and historic St. Augustine, Florida. Owned and operated by Conrad Matt, he is the jolly and worldly Captain. He asked me to paint some murals in the private rooms and jazz up the front stairs. Together with staff, we agreed upon the lyrics from "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me." I proceeded to create my own font and paint the front stairs. What a response we got! Pirate Haus guests, tourists, and other passers-by were apparently delighted, as they would stop to read or sing the lyrics, take pictures, or even come up to check the place out and stay for the night! Other murals I contributed also delighted guests, including a hidden "treasure" door, a huge Live-Oak tree with Spanish moss, a jungle room, and a "stained-glass" window.
I'm always on the look-out for interesting and novel places to paint. In addition to walls, I also paint on canvases, doors, boat anchors - even giant jaguars! Having art in my life is as necessary as breathing and eating, so I am always up for a new project, teaching what I know, and meeting fellow artists or anyone who is passionate about making the world a better place, aesthetically and socially.
All images and artwork Copyright © 2000-2008 Elaine Juzwick.