Masks and Mirrors Gallery - Explorations of Identity

Phoenix Rising

Monuments to life, her creations resurrect feelings of transcendence, mystery, and hope.

Elaine Weiner-Reed's “Masks and Mirrors - Explorations of Identity” series honors the human spirit in all its colors, resiliency, and fortitude. The Artist's work is an ongoing excavation into the psychology of relationships from the inside out. Her work focuses on unraveling the complexity and mystery of human emotion, choices, and behavior, featuring the individual within or outside of a group dynamic.

She recognizes the struggle and determination to survive. Personalities and psyches are formed from life moments, motivations, relationships, and experiences. From our first glimpses of ourselves in a mirror, in photographs, and in reflections in someone’s eyes, we question who we are and why we are here. We search for purpose, identity... As a result, we grow and change - inside and outside. In her work, Elaine Weiner-Reed examines what defines an individual - from upbringing to choices, challenges, interests, and chance encounters. From Ashes to Ashes, we rise, struggle, survive, triumph, and eventually, we sleep…our legacy determined and written in the paths we have taken, and choices made along the way. Weiner-Reed acknowledges the spirit and personal history of each character as they interact, envisioning their journeys as pictorial medleys evolving as their worlds turn.

Mirror, Mirror

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,400

Identity. Visions of Self. Reflections on how we see ourselves begin with our first self-glimpses in the mirror. What – who? – do we see when we look in the mirror? Is that all there is or is there much more to us?

Unsung Chords

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic on Linen

$3,000

Sometimes our heart's desires remain buried within, silent to all but the most attuned. But such chords are among the most beautiful and haunting...and should not be left unsung.

Hidden Doors

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$2900

There are doors that are meant to be opened, but others meant to be kept closed. Each group or social circle – even family – has those doors we must avoid. Some, however, we stumble upon when least expected…

Transcendence

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3200

Rising above and beyond…to soar!

Doors and Secrets

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,700

Everyone has secrets... Doors and secrets... We have to know when to knock...and when to turn away. Some doors are better left unopened.

Sticks and Stones

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

- SOLD -

36" x 24"

Acrylic /Mixed Media

$3,600

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me...

While true in theory, and a great defense mechanism to teach the young, over time we realize that as much as we would like it to be, real life is not a fairy tale.

Chance Encounters

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic on Linen

$3,500

Some call it chemistry… Others call it fate or destiny. I do not believe in coincidences... What about you? Everything happens for a reason… It is up to us to figure it out or just live it.

Once Upon An Allegory

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,400

The stories and subtext crosses and collides…sometimes with surprising results.

Life does not come with an instruction book, nor are we born with operating instructions. The journey carries mystery and it is filled with discovery. Sense-making may happen along the route...or not. All around us are the stories of others, mingling with our own. A kaleidoscope of life and color, scents and sounds...waiting to be unraveled.

Wakan

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,400

In recognition of all who inspired, educated, loved, and encouraged us (past and present, alive or dead) .... To you, we offer thanksgiving and celebration! You helped form us.

The Waiting Game

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

48" x 48"

Acrylic

$6,600

Seemingly frozen in time, waiting for someone or someone or something… What happens next?

Is this a room that you would choose to enter? Would you take a seat - the red chair? Is the seated woman waiting for someone to arrive or looking after someone who just left? What are the roles of the other three characters in the painting? Do they know each other? What is their story?

InfraRed

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

60" x 36"

Acrylic

$6,900

Red Hot... The room fairly sizzles with life and energy and music. Is she dancing, just having left the chair? Or is it someone's idea of a new Ring Around the Rosy (Chair) game for a new generation? Would you cross this threshold...or are you already in the scene?

When a room fairly sizzles with the energy contained within? Do you walk away…or enter, adding your own energy to the mix?

Some Call It Chemistry

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,000

Sensing something just beyond our grasp, someone catches our attention - perhaps across a crowded room.

The Gathering - Still Waiting

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

48" x 48"

Acrylic

$6,600

Tough crowd… The mood is somber. What is going on here? Many people standing and seemingly at the center of the room, a woman stands alone beside an empty chair. This certainly feels like a “judgment zone.” How would the scene play out? How did it all begin? What set WHAT in motion?

BraveHeart

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

60" x 36"

Acrylic

$6,700

So many burdens carried, and challenges overcome…these everyday heroes we pass by or spend time with. Honoring human resiliency and fortitude. Continuing to walk, to be... Living life fully, come what may. Life is too short...and it is too sweet not to keep walking, despite the trials or pain.

If not now, when? Own it. Stand tall.

Sentimental Journeys

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic on Linen

$3,850

Those places we go in our minds...to travel through memories that warm the heart. Memories we cherish of people who remain in our hearts forever. Missing those who mean something to us or replaying scenes we augment with our dreams. Heart and mind connect to orchestrate beautiful or sentimental films within our private viewing space. Escapes at the ready.

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,400

No one’s reality is ever identical, nor two people ever exactly alike. The magic is in the differences. Inside each person is their interior or their unique undercarriage, and a spirit that becomes their life's breath and essence. From this wellspring that is connected to the Universe, comes one's personal character and strength. ‘All my relations...’

Vision Quest

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic

$3,700

Who am I?

The ultimate search for identity begins with self-awareness and takes a lifetime of introspection... Discovery in every sense of the word. Engaged on a journey full of sound, color, movement, and song. Steering with the heart, driving with the mind, but open to the surprises, experiences, emotions, and intuitive reactions to life.

Talking Story

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic /Mixed Media

$3,200

Each person has a story to tell. Each story is as unique as the individual's life... We are all part of something bigger and our contribution is a reflection of our life, the times in which we live, and our culture. We are a part of history… and each of us is in the process of writing our own unique story.

Ashes to Ashes

by Elaine Weiner-Reed

36" x 24"

Acrylic on Linen

$3,600

Immortality. Resurrection. Reincarnation. The circle of life... No matter how long we live, life is short. Too short. Life is rarely simple or easy, but it is always precious - something to never take for granted. How do we want to live it? What is our legacy...?