Eleni Smolen, Eternal Wave, 2002, Oil and mixed media on gessoed paper to panel, 42 x 72 inches
"It is by the deep, hidden currents that the oceans are made one."  Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us
 
                             

Born Deep River, Ontario  Canada

1965             Summers spent in northern Saskatchewan                     
1972             Travels throughout Greece for three months
1976              B.A, Carleton University, Ottawa
1979              Moves to Brooklyn from Toronto
1987             Travels to France and Greece
1989              Masters of Social Work, NYU
1989-96        Clinical Social Worker in Brooklyn, NY                             
1996              Moves to Southern Tier, New York
                      Starts to paint (Biophilia Series)
                     
1999              Names Brooklyn studio TheoGanz Studio
2001              Travels to Venice
2002             

2003              Biophilia, solo, Delaware Valley Arts Alliance,
                            Narrowsburg, NY

2005              Begins Dharma Rain Series (oil; 48x48in)

                       

2006           
                    Curates Elegy in a Variable Key
                       (paintings + voice), in his memory
                       TheoGanz Studio, Brooklyn
                   Art for Water, Damascus Citizens, NYC
                   Curates SONYA Invitational,
                   6 x 6, DVAA, Narrowsburgh, NY
                   Two Painters, curator, William Pesce,
                        Windsor Whip Works, Windsor NY

2007          Enigma, curator, Paulien Lethen,
                              Holland Tunnel Gallery, Paros, Greece
                  8th Annual National Juried Exhibition,
                           Shippensburg University, (Stephen Haller,
                           juror)

2009          Moves to Beacon, NY
2011           Persistent Song, Bank Square, Beacon
                   Annual Members Show, Garrison Art Center

2012           Inaugurates TheoGanz Studio as commercial
                        gallery in Beacon theoganzstudio.com          
                   Travels to Cycladic Islands, Greece

2013            Inaugurates Beacon 3D, a public art exhibition
                          beacon3d.org
                   These are Mine, solo exhibition, TheoGanz

2014           Dispatches from Eternity, TheoGanz Studio
                   Curates Second Annual Beacon 3D exhibition
                   Travels to Cycladic Islands, Greece
                   Begins to handle Inuit art from Kinngait at TGS

2015           Meeting Past with Present, curator, Bibiana
                               Matheis, Akin Museum & Library, Pawling
                   Women of Hudson Valley, HCC
                   Small Works, group, The Catalyst Gallery
                   Curates 3rd Annual Beacon 3D Exhibition

2016           Begins Wherever I Travel/Ridgeline Series
                       (horse motif on 16 x 16 in panels; below)

                  
                     Behold the Moon, curator, Bibiana Matheis,
                              The Hammond Museum & Stroll Garden
                      Women of Hudson Valley, HCC, Beacon
                      The Wind Will Carry Us, TheoGanz Studio
                       Beacon Open Studios
                      Curates 4th Annual Beacon 3D Exhibition

2017             Curates 5th Annual Beacon 3D Exhibition

2018              Closes brick and mortar TheoGanz Studio
                      Continues to represent Inuit art from Kinngait at TGS
                      Travels to Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut  

                     

                           Presents the 2018 Cape Dorset Collection
                           Curates 6th Annual Beacon 3D Exhibition
                           Curates, Hiro Ichikawa 1959-2017:
                               Mountains & Rivers Without End/
                                Paintings From a Trail (catalogue)
                           Curates, The Magical Creatures
                               of Meelia Kelly/ Drawings From The
                              Archives;
                               Catalogue forward by John Westren, 
                               Dorset Fine Arts, Toronto                    
  
2019                 Curates, The imPerfect Poetics of Place
                                Hudson Beach Glass Gallery    
                         Curates, Still Still Moving, 
                               Howland Cultural Center (HCC)
                         Curates 7th Annual Beacon 3D Exhibition
                         Presents the 2019  Annual Kinngait Collection
                         Begins  Girl by the Sea and Guardian Series
                         Newburgh Open Studios
                         Incorporates thread, fabric into work
                         Begins Illuminated Installations       
           
2020                 Girl by the Sea/Guardians, solo exhibition,
                               WAAM, juror, Kristen Dodge
                         20/20, Holland Tunnel Gallery, Newburgh
                         Starts The Turin Horse and Surfacing Series
                         Presents the 2020 Kinngait Collection
                         Show of Hands, SEPTEMBER, Hudson, NY
                         Surfacing, solo, Buster Levi Gallery
                         Begins drawings/ptgs of flukes/whales  
          
2021                 Voices: I Remember,  group, Hammond
                            Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden
                            Curator, Bibiana Huang Matheis (below-R)

                          Finishes first Box of Flukes
                          Newburgh Open Studios 2021
                           NEWBURGH NOW! Holland Tunnel
                           Travels to Toronto to see family  

2022   
Fragile Rainbow: Traversing Habitats,  curator, Sue Spaid,
     Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn
BeaconArts at the Howland Cultural Center,
   curators Karen E. Gersch & Samantha Palmeri, Beacon
Birds of a Feather, curators Joseph Ayers & Ethan Cohen,
     KuBe Art Center, Beacon
Address: Earth, curator Bibiana Huang Matheis, 
     Hudson Valley MOCA, Peekskill

Visits
• Milk of Dreams, Venice Biennale, +
     Crete & Athens
• Gathie Falk: Revelations,
     McMichael Collection, Kleinburg, ON 
Presents the 63rd Annual Print Release from Kinngait Studios

Begins Little Consolation Series (ongoing)

2023
Art Seen / Selected
• JACK WHITTEN: THE GREEK ALPHABET PAINTINGS at DiaBeacon
• WANGECHI MUTU  INTERTWINED at New Museum
• MARK BRADFORD YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE, H&W
• ASHLEY GARRETT  AMBROSIA at SEPTEMBER, Kinderhook, NY
• MICHAEL SNOW:  A  LIFE SURVEY at The School, Kinderhook, NY
• BILL REID GALLERY OF NORTHWEST COAST ART, Vancouver, BC
• WILLIAM KENTRIDGE OH, TO BELIEVE IN ANOTHER WORLD, MG
• BRICE MARDEN:  LET THE PAINTING MAKE YOU, Gagosian NY
• TRACEY EMIN: LOVERS GRAVE, White Cube, NY
• TOM THOMSON NORTH STAR, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
       Kleinburg, ON

Curates Unfolding Vision  Leporellos and Corresponding Work Vol 1
     at The Lofts at Beacon  (theoganzstudio.com)
Curates Drawings and Prints from Kinngait Fall 2023 (online)
Hosts the 2023 Annual Print Release from Kinngait
Curates & Produces Plucked Notes with a Quick Dispatch / Artists'
     Benefit for Doctors Without Borders Dec 9, 2023 @
     The Landmark, 139 Main Street, Beacon, NY


 Freaky Flowers, group exhibition, SEPTEMBER, Kinderhook, NY
 Radiance, group, curator, Catherine Welshman, Newburgh 
 Beacon Open Studios 2023  July 22 & 23  12-6 pm

AND THIS: 
Three Weeks in temperate rain forest of Haida Gwaii, August, 2023
visiting family, UNESCO World Heritage sites for Haida villages and poles,
walking trails. Called it "the trip of a lifetime" but hope to go back
soon and walk more trails, wade in more tidal pools, take more
photographs. Haawa to family for hosting us with such generosity and
graciousness.