Arlene Strom

ARTIST STATEMENT

Known as the “Richest Hill On Earth,” or, conversely, the ugliest city in America, my hometown consisted of rocks and ore. I grew up playing on boulders. Later, I would learn to shape them. It was natural for me to embrace stone as my medium of expression. Stone’s materiality is hard, rough, heavy, and cold; yet, it can be transformed to project softness and emotion. In the last few years, I’ve turned to painting. And, of course, I’m painting rock formations and mountains. This recent series was inspired by a recent trip to Montana, where there are 300 buffalo jumps. 
Generally, my work has an intense physicality, informed by an early background in theatre, dance, and figure skating. Movement and gesture are central to my visual language.
I have a BA in Theatre and an MFA in Dance. My work has been in galleries in NYC, Evanston, IL, Boston, MA, and Basin, MT.