Fresh Impressions: Elena Bond Looks Forward to Her New Exhibition at Ocean Galleries
Impression Sunrise
A young girl, growing up in Russia. The child of a military doctor and classical pianist. Raised in a family full of artists, she travels a lot, lives in Germany for a while and moves frequently throughout the Soviet Union.
It’s not hard to imagine that this child could grow up to become a celebrated fine artist. It is hard to imagine that she would one day capture the very essence of the South Jersey coastline through contemporary impressionist paintings that are revered by critics and collectors alike.
With a loyal global following, Elena Bond will be the subject of Ocean Galleries’ upcoming exhibition featuring brilliant new original paintings along with additional mixed media on Saturday, Aug. 2, and Sunday, Aug. 3, in Stone Harbor.
“Elena Bond’s technique and creativity are boundless,” says Ocean Galleries owner Kim Miller. “We are so proud to showcase artistry of this caliber. Her paintings conjure a sense of joy, freedom, peace, love, and hope, it all streams through the gorgeous images she creates. You might expect an impressionist painting to be all delicate edges and muted tones, but Elena brings an edge and energy to her work that sets it apart.”
Like her art, Elena Bond defies expectations. She is best known for painting almost exclusively with a palette knife. And yet she conjures images that are soft, light, soulful.
Born in Russia, Elena and her family were given the chance to move to the United States more than 25 years ago through the luck of the Green Card Lottery. She now resides with her husband and two children in Florida – very far from the landscapes that influenced her youth.
She attended her first art school at age 11 and would go on to attend the State College of Art in Uzbekistan at 15 and major in scenic design, before earning her master’s degree in fine art at the Academy of Art. For years, she worked in theaters creating set designs for the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Later, she would work as an art restorer and teacher, before turning her full attention to her painting.
“Every artistic field I’ve worked in has given me something valuable,” she asserts. “Scenic design taught me how to understand space, light, and perspective. Working as a restorer allowed me to study the techniques of famous artists up close, and I learned a great deal just by observing their work so carefully. All of that experience shaped my approach to fine art.”
With so much experience and years of traditional training, her evolution toward impressionism was gradual, and enlightening.
“I started with a traditional academic education in art, which gave me a strong foundation – technical skills, knowledge of anatomy, and an understanding of classical styles,” the soft-spoken artist explains. “But over time, I was drawn to impressionism. I loved the freedom of color and movement. I began experimenting with palette-knife techniques and developed a way of working that feels modern while still rooted in tradition.”
Her affinity for contemporary themes, color, and movement is readily apparent in her paintings. They shimmer with energy and flow with vivid hues. In paintings like “Inter Coastal Parade,” one of the new originals in the Ocean Galleries exhibition, vibrant sails punctuate neutral space, while hints of nautical maps glisten through hazy sky and surf, lending a mysterious atmosphere to a timeless yet undeniably current scene.
With her unique sensibilities, Bond creates ethereal paintings that are coveted by galleries and collectors and admired by experts in the art world, including Pierre Henri Matisse, the grandson of the French master impressionist, Henri Matisse.
In the foreword of Bond’s book, “New Impressionism,” Matisse describes her paintings this way: “She uses her impeccable taste in a very subtle and sophisticated way, creating intense harmonies in her paintings as she keeps the contrast between color and value dynamically balanced. This is a graphic accomplishment of past masters, rarely seen in the art world, especially today.”
When you see an Elena Bond painting, her distinctive use of color immediately captures your attention. In fact, color is at the heart of her artistic process. “For me, the most joyful part of painting is working with color,” she says. “I can paint anything, but it’s the process of mixing beautiful tones and making expressive strokes – especially with my palette knife – that truly makes me happy.”
As for the paintings in this Ocean Galleries exhibition, Bond is optimistic that the joy in her creative process is conveyed through the canvas.
“I hope that when people visit my exhibition, they feel a sense of joy and beauty in the everyday scenes I’ve painted,” she says. “I try to capture the energy of life in a positive way. Every brushstroke holds the love and care I put into my work, something I hope others can feel.”
No doubt, those who attend the exhibition will feel it. In the new painting, “October Bloom,” a 48-by-36-inch oil on canvas, ginger roses practically burst through the canvas, in the most exquisite shades of peach, orange, cream, and butterscotch. Undeniably graceful, the sunset-hued blossoms defy the rigidity of the palette knife that conjured them.
It’s not uncommon to have an emotional response to Bond’s paintings, which is no surprise given her intention and inspiration.
“Every painting has a story behind it, and I put a lot of heart into each one,” she explains. “Life, beauty, joy, and a sense of lightness – those are the things I try and bring into my paintings. I feel like we need more of that in the world, even in small doses. If I can bring a smile or a feeling of peace to someone through my art, that means everything to me.”
And showing her work to crowds in Stone Harbor has become a particularly fulfilling experience for this artist who pours so much of herself into her paintings.
“When my paintings find their way into homes – especially in an area as welcoming and beautiful as Stone Harbor – it feels like they’ve found where they belong,” she says. “That connection makes the work even more meaningful to me.”
The Elena Bond exhibition will be open at Ocean Galleries from 10am to 9pm throughout the weekend, with wine receptions from 6-9pm on Saturday, Aug. 2 and from noon-3pm on Sunday, Aug. 3.
“Unveiling a new collection of gorgeous Elena Bond original paintings is an incredible honor for us,” says Miller. “We are excited for people to stop by and experience the beauty of Elena Bond’s world.”
