Elaine Duncan

Dance

I find painting to be a dynamic, almost choreographic experience. It is a partnership between myself, the paint, and the canvas—where rhythm, texture, and movement intertwine. Inspired by the spontaneity of bodily movement through space, I allow the paint to guide the creation process, minimizing conscious interference. This surrender to the moment is deeply gratifying.

My influences range from the Abstract Expressionists Helen Frankenthaler, Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell to Cy Twombly among others.

After attending NYU and the Art Students League in New York City in the 70s, I made several trips to Africa and Asia, where I was fascinated with peeling paint, color and adobe walls. I revisit this today by throwing sand and mixed media into my work.

Eventually I moved home to Colorado where I became a book cover designer and later started a family. In 1998, we moved to Santa Fe where I worked as an art teacher in the public schools. After my retirement in 2018, I embarked on a new chapter of my life as a painter, driven by a desire to explore the creative process of both dance and art.