I don't know if anyone got to go to the Fleisher within the past month, but when I stopped by I saw a series of drawings by Elaine Erne. I was blown away! Her collection of large graphite pencil drawings were called The Lives and Traumas of Stuffed Animals, and were pretty large. There was one up in progress when I was there and you could see that the whole picture was made up of strokes one after another. She must have been going crazy by the end because I was losing patience just looking at them. The toys she depicts are presented as allegories for children and their fears. Though the circumstances represented are not real and presented pretty humorously, they capture the aura that surrounds a person who has no control. By appearance, an abused child is like a doll, always appearing happy, but in reality experiencing deep pain, sorrow and fear. Above all, I was incredibly impressed.

--Autumn Oser