Ellen Holtzblatt explores the profound connections between the physical and spiritual world through oil painting and ink drawing. In her art she seeks empathetic understanding of self and other. Landscape becomes an allegory for psychological states, emotion, evolution and decay. Through figures and landscapes, she explores the power and vulnerability of mind, soul, and the passage of time.
Holtzblatt exhibits her work in the United States and internationally. Recent solo and two-person exhibits include Miller Art Museum, St. Xavier University, Chicago Cultural Center, Gallery Studio Oh, Josef Glimer Gallery, and Fermilab Gallery. Recent group shows include Freeport Art Museum, Jerusalem Biennale, Evanston Art Center, Museum of Biblical Art, Spertus Institute, Rockford Art Museum, Inselgalerie in Berlin, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Yeshiva University Museum, and Center for Book Arts. Holtzblatt has been awarded artist residencies in the U.S. and Iceland including Ragdale Foundation, and was a 2019/2020 artist resident with the Chicago Artists Coalition, where she exhibited in two-person and group exhibits. Holtzblatt’s work is held in numerous public and private collections, and she has received grants from the Illinois Arts Council and City of Chicago. Her work has been written about in multiple publications, including New City, The Chicago Sun-Times, and Sixty Inches From Center. Holtzblatt earned degrees in Visual Art and Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an M.Ed. from the University of Illinois.