Peg Ehringer’s Artist Statement:
The title of Peg Ehrlinger’s current work is “Reflective Portraits.” Peg sat on a park bench in Central Park, New York City in September 2015 and marveled, and was somewhat saddened by the disconnected nature of humanity. She watched hundreds of people swirl around her, as she attempted to make interpersonal contact with them. Very few people made eye contact, rarely did someone offer a smile, and virtually nobody was willing to converse.
This was when the vision of Reflective Portraits was born. Reflective Portraits is a series of 10 portraits of aging women from around the world. Peg paints the portraits in enamel on 8 x 10 pieces of glass, and then displays the portrait in front of an 8×10 mirror. The viewer is immediately connected with the portrait by seeing their own reflection in the mirror, next to the painted portrait. Then as the viewer comes closer to the portrait, they can also see reflected in the mirror that Peg has painted images of the woman’s life experiences on the back of the glass. The idea being that, in life we often miss the depth of experiences, joys, sorrows, successes, and challenges that have contributed to this human being standing before us. The message of Reflective Portraits is to increase awareness of our interconnectedness, and to increase our sensitivity to others’ humanity.
Artist Biography:
Peg attended Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, OH and worked as a Graphic Designer and Production Artist in Cleveland, OH. Peg and her husband John moved to the Boston area in 2015. Peg currently works with the elderly, and is deeply moved by the rich wisdom and depth of experiences they share.