Ellen Hermanos' paintings explore color and texture, using varied techniques to define their surfaces and the blocks of color that comprise their subjects. Her textures are comprised of layers of paint, the deeper of which represent the past and peek through newer layers in an expression of a former life. Often, even after having finished a painting, Hermanos will go back and rework the piece, adding and subtracting color with brush, palette knife, and sponge roller to reveal what was painted beneath and as a result, revive the emotions that had been suppressed. Hermanos' paintings entwine simple, blocked forms with extensive emotional context. Her interest in human emotion, deeply rooted in her paintings, is furthered by another facet of her career; aside from her artwork, Hermanos is also a psychotherapist.