Apollonova Art News

elizabeth@quietlycreating.com

www.quietlycreating.com

Artwork by Elizabeth Ross Yurich

Artist Statement:

Frustrated by the stack of paperboard I had saved from numerous

packages I receive in my business correspondence, I decided to create art with it. At

first I mixed watercolors and pastel to see how the paper reacted, but then I moved

onto gluing objects onto the art. Never one to throw out magazines and junk mail, I

started adding cut clippings to the pieces. Sustainable practices interest me, and the

whole idea that most of the mail you get is so impersonal, led me to create art in the

most intimate way. That is what led to the KISS series. I wanted to make something

beautiful out of what ends up garbage for most people, so I incorporated the human

figure and face into my artworks. For me, it is about having my audience gain a fresh

perspective on things.

Bio:

Inspired at a young age to cut things up, Elizabeth Ross Yurich would destroy her

sisters Seventeen Magazines before she knew what happened. She would make new

creations using glue, pencils, markers, paint and construction paper—always thinking

the end result was much better than what the magazine had shown. Fast forward to

high school then college, Elizabeth continued to explore different materials and their

reaction to each other. In her second year of college, Elizabeth, switched majors to

communication design. After graduation, she worked for numerous ad agencies and

design firms, before launching her own design firm. For the past 13 years, she has

headed Yurich Creative, a communication design firm, specializing in companies that

keep sustainability as a core value. Always feeling the pull to her roots, Elizabeth

decided to re-focus on fine art several years ago. Of course this meant digging out the

scissors, and finding magazines and even junk mail, to cut apart. Elizabeth’s paintings

and drawings are a combination of watercolors, oils, acrylics, pastels, pencil, marker

and glued objects. The mixed media art is focused on relationships, between people,

their environment, as well as the world.

Artist Résumé:

TESTIMONY: My heart has always been with fine art, specifically mixed media and painting,

but at Cooper School of Art I also fell in love with Communication Design. Recently, I have begun

directing my talents to a more personal place—re-focusing on fine art. I work in mixed media

primarily, and currently, I have a series of collages I created using recycled materials such as

paperboard from mailings and magazines and junk mail.

EDUCATION: Cooper School of Art, Communication Design major, Printmaking minor.

EXPERIENCE: Over the years, I have worked for numerous advertising agencies, including but

not limited to, Wyse and Doner.

1997-present, creative director at Yurich Creative. Since 1990, I have been involved in sustainable

“best” practices. Upon starting my design firm, my focus was on sustainable graphic design. I

have earned recognition and been asked to speak and teach in this area of expertise. In 2008, I

was awarded an E4S Champion of Sustainability.

Presently teaching at Cleveland Institute of Art: Sustainability + Design = ReThinking.

EXHIBITIONS: April, Wall Eye Gallery, Cleveland, OH, two pieces, juried show

2010 May, Art Fur Animals, Cleveland, OH, one piece, group show

June, Lockview, Akron, OH, one piece, group show

July, Kent Stage, Kent, OH, eight pieces, group show

August, Artists of the Western Reserve, one piece, group show

AWARDS: First and second place in the senior art exhibition. Numerous awards and

recognitions for communication design pieces, including but not limited to, Addy’s and AIGA

Awards of Excellence.

COLLECTIONS: Several private collectors have purchased works.

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: Attends classes and workshops, as well as drop-in drawing

events. Member of Apollonova, an artists group, that create paintings in live setting, primarily at

bars and restaurants. Over the years, have taken drawing, ceramics, painting, and print making

classes from a variety of institutions.