OPENING NIGHT36 ARTWORKS
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CLEVELAND INSTITUTE
OF ART
JUNIOR VISUAL ARTS
MAJORS
DRAWING
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Annelise Abruzzi
Annelise Abruzzi’s drawing practice is rooted in a lifelong engagement with imagination. Influenced by the enchantment of fairy folklore, Disney princess narratives, and fantastical worlds encountered through children’s computer games and film, her work reflects a desire to preserve a sense of wonder within contemporary life. Abruzzi views her work as a way to hold onto a childlike perspective, using art as a space to resist cynicism and reassert belief in magic, beauty, and possibility. Her imagery often centers on florals, fairies, and symbolic natural forms, creating whimsical environments that feel feminine and quietly subversive.
Working across a range of materials - including charcoal, pastel, watercolor, colored pencil, and gouache - Abruzzi focuses highly on precision, often drawing from the wrist to create delicate, intentional marks. Her process embraces both control and play, resulting in layered compositions that evoke softness and depth, particularly through the use of translucent paper in her artist books. Narrative plays a key role in her work, as each piece becomes a fragment of a larger, evolving universe shaped by personal reflection and cultural mythology. Through this approach, Abruzzi invites viewers to “stop and smell the roses” while reconsidering the value of imagination in shaping how we move through the world.