Cranston Artist's American Icon Paintings Featured at Bristol Library

Hamburgers, pumpkins, dollar bills and coins may not immediately strike you as iconic images of America, but to one Rhode Island artist, these objects truly resonate with Americans today. And local residents have an opportunity to see the artist's rendition of those American icons for themselves at Rogers Free Library.

The artist, Ellen Ferrin of Cranston, grew up in Rhode Island. After traveling to New York and the south to follow jobs in the textile design industry, she returned to Rhode Island nine years ago and began living out her true artistic dream.

"I did textile as a job for the paycheck so I could continue to paint," she said "But painting has always been my true love."

Ferrin followed her dream by opening an art studio in Warren, called Positive Space Studio, located at 30 Cutler St., where she now paints full time and teaches classes on the side. Painting in her studio, Ferrin compiled about 30 pieces depicting American icons that are now featured on the second floor of Rogers Free Library.

The paintings, comprised mostly of oil artwork and a few acrylics and watercolor, primarily depict fruits, pumpkins, dogs, American currency and more significantly, over-sized luscious hamburgers. Ferrin says all of her paintings mean America to her.

"They are all what I consider to be American icons," she said. "When I started the series, I wasn’t specifically thinking that, but I was looking for something that would be relevant to today’s life. A lot of paintings are classic and beautiful but not necessarily present."

Ferrin said she started painting hamburgers last summer when she noticed that it seemed like every restaurant and fast food billboard had a giant hamburger on it.

"It seemed like every time you would be driving down 95, there's a huge hamburger!" she said. "It just occurred to me that everyone knows what a hamburger is because it is so imprinted in our brain. It is a universal symbol because there are probably very few places in the world where people wouldn’t know what a hamburger is and associate it with America."

Ferrin said her favorite painting in the whole show is a hamburger piece "stacked," because the finished product came out "as big and juicy" as she wanted to make it.

But the most interesting part in all of Ferrin's hamburger artwork is the amount of detail and time spent on painting something she doesn't even eat.

"I've been a vegetarian my whole life," she said laughing. "Maybe because I'm more removed from them I can appreciate the beauty of it. I find food very beautiful"

Ferrin's artwork will be on display at the library until Thursday, Oct. 6. Anyone interested in taking a painting or drawing class with Ferrin can reach her by email at ef@positivespacestudio.com.