Techniques and Series
Starting in the early 1980s, Ellen Banks developed a visual transcription system for translating written musical scores into paintings. Individual measures served as the formal basis for this methodology, with notes being assigned specific colors: red stands for A, orange for B, yellow for C, green for D, indigo for E, violet for F, and “neutral” for G. The system, which was initially strictly rule-based, was further developed over time, but has had a lasting influence on her entire oeuvre since the 1980s.
Nocturnes
The Nocturnes series was created in 1988/89 and is based on Frédéric Chopin's compositions of the same name. Ellen Banks translated the musical structures into 19 abstract acrylic paintings in which dark backgrounds reflect the nocturnal mood of the music. Metallic color accents and rhythmically arranged areas of color refer to the moon, stars, and urban lighting situations. The series marks a central point in Banks' exploration of music as a pictorial structure.
Mixed Media
In her mixed media works, Ellen Banks combined canvas or wood with handmade paper. Her starting point remained musical patterns, which she translated into multi-layered compositions of paint, paper, and surface. Material-related traces, such as creases, folds, and tears, are integral to the works.
Handmade Paper
Ellen Banks regarded handmade paper as an artistic medium in its own right. She made it herself from natural fibers and deliberately incorporated its irregularities into her works. The striking texture, materiality, and imperfections of the paper thus became central compositional elements.
Encaustic painting played a central role in Banks' work, particularly in the late 1990s and 2000s. Working with pigmented wax allowed her to achieve a particular depth, transparency, and materiality. Here, the score, i.e., the musical template, served merely as a starting point for her abstract compositions and was interpreted more freely.
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