Over Her Shoulder
Oil on Mylar Mounted on Panel
13.5h x 13.5w in.
Elena Zolonitsky’s paintings are a study in archetypes, where familiar objects transcend their traditional forms—chairs, flowers, faces—becoming something more. With the painting itself as her main focus, she simplifies the surrounding elements to create depth, both physical and emotional, in each layer of paint. She strives for a balance, allowing her works to "breathe" with open spaces, reflecting a constant state of transition, much like herself.
With nearly 40 years of experience, Zolonitsky views her work as a poetic expression of admiration for life, art, and beauty. She likens her paintings to "sonnets"—each a vehicle for communicating complex emotions through color, texture, and surface treatment. Her process embraces repetition, seeking new ways to express familiar sentiments, and every painting is a challenge to capture that single, resonant note of magic that connects her personal identity to a larger, timeless dimension.
Elena Zolotnitsky in the gallery.
Photography by: Emily Followill
Born: 1961, Moscow, Russia
Education: MFA from the Moscow Cinema Academy, 1987
Awards, Grants, Residencies:
2008 - Visual Aid's Jerome Caja Terrible Beauty Award, San Francisco, CA
2007 - Award of Excellence, Cash Prize at Northern National Art Competition, Nicolett College,
WI Best in the Show, Cash Prize at Loyola National Works on Paper, Chicago, IL
2005 - Award of Excellence: 46th Communication Arts Annual Illustration Exhibition, CA
- Full Fellowship from Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Taos, New Mexico
- Best in the Show "Dimensions 2005", 40th National Exhibition, Winston-Salem, NC
2004 - Award of Excellence: SDAI 48th International Exhibition, San Diego, CA
2003 - Full Fellowship from Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont
1997 - Grant from the Paul Beckett Foundation, Denmark / Spain
1993 - Gold Medal: Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Exhibition, Baltimore, MD
1993 - Merit Award: 36th Annual Illustration Exhibition, Society of Illustrators, NY
1991 - Merit Award: 27th Annual Illustration Exhibition, Society of Publication Design, NY
Solo Exhibitions:
2009 - Paul Mahder Gallery: "Basic", San Francisco, CA 2006
- Franklin Bowles Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- B. Boeltz Gallery, Denver, CO
2005 - Barbara Anderson Gallery: "Closer", Berkeley, CA
2004 - Open Studios, ArtSpan San Francisco, CA
2003 - Bucci's, Emeryville, CA
2002 - East Bay Open Studios, Berkeley, CA
2001 - Addison Street Windows, Sponsored by the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission,
Berkeley, CA
2000 - Albatross, Berkeley, CA
1998 - Harbor Square Gallery, Rockland, ME
1997 - Russian Embassy, Washington D.C., curated by Diane Beal
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2015 – Pryor Fine Art
2012- Pryor Fine Art, 3 person show, Atlanta, GA
2011 – Pryor Fine Art, Fall Salon, Atlanta, GA
2010 - "Cimmerian Muse: Exploring The Gesters Of The Mind" Nieto Fine Art, San Francisco CA
- "The Figure Now" Fontbonne University Fine Arts Gallery, St.Lois, MO.
Juried by Sofie Jodoin, Alex Kanevsky and Nicholas Uribe
2008 - Two Artists Show, Paule Anglim Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 - Loyola National Works on Paper, Crown Center Gallery Loyola University of Chicago,
- Juried by Dan Addington, Director of Gwenda Jay/Addington Gallery, Chicago IL
- Northern National Art Competition, juried by Allan Peterson, Nicolett College, WI
- Micaela Gallery: "Salon d'Ete 2007", San Francisco, CA
- Rotunda Gallery, USF School of Law, curated by Saiko Matsumaru. San Francisco, CA
- Paul Mahder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 - SFMOMA Artists Gallery: "Finding the Figure", San Francisco, CA
2005 - 20th Annual Conservatory Art Classic, juried by Tony Eubanks, Clifton, TX
- Micaela Gallery: "Salon d'Ete 2005", San Francisco, CA
- "Dimensions 2005" 40th National Exhibition juried by Phillip Koch, Winston-Salem, NC
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: Visual Aid at 16, San Francisco, CA
- San Diego Art Institute: 48th International Exhibition, juried by Derrick C. Cartwright,
Director of the San Diego - Museum of Art Market Street Gallery:
"Erotic Art Show", San Francisco, CA
2004 - Blue Room Gallery, San Francisco, CA Barbara Anderson Gallery:
"Works on Paper", Berkeley, CA
- ARTWALK at the Embarcadero Center, curated by ArtSpan, San Francisco, CA
2003 - Catharine Clark Gallery: SPICE Visual Aid Artists, San Francisco, CA
- San Diego Art Institute: 46th International Exhibition, San Diego, CA
2002 - Vorpal Gallery: "Beaux & Eros", San Francisco, CA
2001 - SFMOMA Artists Gallery 4 Artist Show, San Francisco, CA
- Vorpal Gallery: "The Year 2001- Art Odyssey", San Francisco, CA
1999 - Museum of American Illustration: SPD Gala Annual, New York, NY
- Art Expo: Finalists of the Art Calendar Magazine's Competition, New York, NY
- James E. Lewis Museum of Art, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD
- Sloane Gallery, Denver, CO
1997 - Springfield Art Museum: Watercolor USA Honor Society, 6th Biennial Exhibition
- "Maryland Artists" Government House, Annapolis, MD
- Lancaster Museum of Art: "Creating Women", Lancaster, PA
1996 - Eastern New Mexico University: "Form and Metaphor" Hodson Gallery:
"Made in the USA", Hood College, Frederick, MD
1995 - Regional Mid-Atlantic Watercolor Exhibition, Baltimore, MD 1994
Zenith Gallery, Washington D.C.
1993 - New York City Public Library: SPD Gala Annual, New York, NY
- Galerie Francoise, Green Spring, MD 1992 Zimmerly Art Museum: Norton Dodge's
Collection of Soviet Art, Rutgers University, NJ
Selected Publications:
2009 - Etnosfera Magazine: "Elena Zolotnitsky - Creativity Is A Personal Affair". Interviwe with
Yulia Goryacheva, Issue #11 (134), Moscow Russia
2008 - 7x7 San Francisco Magazine: "Watch This Space" by Christine Ryan.
November Issue p.120
2005 - 46th Annual Communication Arts, p.107 2004 Green Mountain Review:
Cover, Vol. XVII, No. 2
2003 - Baltimore Magazine: "A Selection of Contemporary Russian Artwork" by John Lewis,
- February Issue pp. 122-123
2001 - BOA Editions Limited: Cover for Parphenope by Michael Waters
2000 - NY Times Book Review Cover: "Thus Spake Beowulf" February 27th
1999 - BOA Editions Limited: Cover for Dusty Angel by Michael Blumenthal
1997 - "Painting Composition" Rockport Publishers: Award of Distinction
- "The Best of Watercolor 2" Rockport Publishers: Award of Distinction
- Intelligencer Journal "Happenings", March Issue: "Bold or Fractured, Images From
Women's Selves" by Jennifer Knopf. Cover Story on "Creating Women",
Lancaster Museum of Art, PA
1996 - Frederick Gazette: "Six Very Good Reasons To See "Made in the USA by Richard
- Lebhers on the Exhibition of Selected Former Russian Artists
1995 - The Artist's Magazine: "Rising Watercolor Stars" by Bebe Raupe,
October Issue pp. 60-65.
- An Art Review featuring the top winners from 10 of North America's
most prominent Watercolor Societies
1993 - The Baltimore Sun March 11: "Zolotnitskys Blend Humor and Grimness,
Go Figure" by John Dorsey. Art Review on the two-person exhibition at
Galerie Francoise, Baltimore, MD
1992 - The Columbia Flier December 17th: "Two Russians make their points at CAC"
by Mark Giuliano on a two-person exhibition at Columbia Arts Center, Washington D.C.
