Elizabeth Ernst is fourteen months younger than her brother David, who was born in 1948 with cerebral palsy. As a way of protecting David, her parents did not let them play outside, confining their playground to the house. It was in her childhood home that Ernst first created her cast of imaginary friends who kept her company. Years later, she is still crafting a cast of characters based on people imagined and real. Mirror Mirror continues the artists’ deep commitment to storytelling, where animals talk, wood and paper mache come alive, and metal objects display a personality.
Like Stuart Little, the Tin Man or Peter Rabbit, Ernst’s characters go about daily life, unaware of their difference. In her invented world, people deemed “other” are embraced and seen as the norm, much like the way her family treated her brother, who was physically and emotionally challenged. Ernst explores this idea of transformation in several pieces including Gus in the Kitchen, in which a bird-like man prepares eggs for breakfast; in The Junk Collector, in which a man constructed from wood and metal sits among his fabricated parts; and in Edie Remembering, which shows a woman past her prime, her deep eyes and aged skin hinting at a life well lived. Mirror Mirror takes imagination and holds it up for all to see. Her studio has replaced her childhood home as a place of refuge. It is there, among scraps of metal, wood, plastic, miniature parts, power tools and photographs that her characters are brought to life.
All pieces in Mirror Mirror were sculpted or constructed by the artist, then photographed and printed on canvas paper, with acrylic paint added to the surface. All images are one-of-a-kind.
Elizabeth Ernst is a tenured Associate Professor in the photography department of Columbia College Chicago. Mirror Mirror is supported in part by a 2013 Faculty Development Grant from Columbia College Chicago.
Please call: (312) 266-2350 for prices of specific pieces.
Prices are print only unless otherwise indicated.
75 Lathrop St apt 3E, 2014
Video Link
Elizabeth Ernst, 75 Lathrop St apt 3E, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
11½ x 17¼" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
UniqueBertha of Beechwood Manor, 2014
Video Link
Elizabeth Ernst, Bertha of Beechwood Manor, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
10¼ x 14¼" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
UniqueEdie Remembering, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Edie Remembering, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
17¾ x 13” pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
Frank and Kitty, 2012
Video Link
Elizabeth Ernst, Frank and Kitty, 2012
From the The G.E Circus series
23¾ x 17¾" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
UniqueGus, 2013
Video Link
Elizabeth Ernst, Gus, 2013
From the The G.E Circus series
12 x 12" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
UniqueGus In His Kitchen, 2013
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Gus In His Kitchen, 2013
From the The G.E Circus series
13 x 19" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
Kenny and his concertina, 2013
Video Link
Elizabeth Ernst, Kenny and his concertina, 2013
From the The G.E Circus series
13½ x 11½" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
UniqueLeo, 2013
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Leo, 2013
From the The G.E Circus series
14 x 14" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
Olivia's Mother, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Olivia's Mother, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
11 x 8½" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
The Junk Collector, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, The Junk Collector, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
16½ x 19¼” pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
The Poker Game, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, The Poker Game, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
13 x 19" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
The Quiet Man, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, The Quiet Man, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
16¾ x 12½" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
Wilhemina, 2013
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Wilhemina, 2013
From the The G.E Circus series
13¼ x 13¼" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold
Wish Bones, 2014
sold
Video LinkElizabeth Ernst, Wish Bones, 2014
From the The G.E Circus series
9¼ x 17" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Uniquesold