Working in carbon pencil, charcoal, colored pencil and pastel, Maryland artist Ellen Cornett creates surreal tableaux frequently referencing fairy tales, poems and rhymes. While the subject matter of each drawing varies widely, common motifs tie them together and make them seem like moments in one long, overarching plot. In her solo exhibition Ellen Cornett: Into the Woods, hosted by BlackRock Center for the Arts, the artist presents a series of recent works where she manipulates familiar characters into mysterious vignettes exploring conflict, misunderstanding, and absurdity.

Cornett’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions which include Brentwood Arts Exchange, Greater Reston Arts Center, Marymount University, Fisher Art Gallery at Northern Virginia Community College, and Montpelier Arts Center. Her work has been selected for numerous group exhibitions presented at galleries which include Touchstone Gallery, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Harmony Hall, Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, The Nave Gallery in Somerville, MA and FeGallery in Sacramento, CA. Her work has received awards in juried competitions and is included in both private and public collections, including the Montgomery County Public Art Trust. In 2019, the Hirshhorn Museum selected Cornett to participate in the interactive exhibition “Rirkrit Tiravanija: (who’s afraid of red, yellow, and green)” where she, along with 14 other artists, drew on the walls of the museum to create murals depicting protest, rebellion, and repression.