In the Studio, April 19, 2019

Here are some of the oils in progress at the moment.
Back left, 4 x 5
Lower left, 3 x 5
Center, 40 x 50
Back right, 36 x 36

There are a number of puzzles in play here and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all work out. I do like the luxury of having different works to consider rather than bearing down on just one image.

Groups of oils in progress influence one another and better paintings result. It is never a dull day in the studio!

Grateful Notices: Saccades IV oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Ken Elliott  Saccades IV  oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches
Exhibited Sorelle Gallery, New Cannan, CT   private collection

It is a pleasure to paint this series of forest scenes. I was thinking of something a bit more abstracted and then I came across the name Saccades. It gave me the idea of making a painting without a focal point, a departure from what landscapes usually do.

I liked the challenge of it and there will certainly be more variations in the future.

My thanks to the buyer of this oil and the encouragement it gave me!


About the Saccades Series:

"Since the late 19th century, researchers have been aware of the phenomenon of saccades, the rapid movement of the eye as we shift our attention from one thing to another. As a result, vision itself is discontinuous. We construct a “map of reality” from saccades much as a film editor puts together a scene from individual camera takes."  From an article by the film maker Errol Morris, NY Times

New Work: Summer Sunset, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Summer Sunset, oil on canvas, 36 X 36 inches   $5100 framed

Sunsets create fascinating opportunities for artists and I never tire of them. I use them to play out different color combinations and shapes without the worry of trying to represent a realistic scene.

To start the painting, I first set up the bright orange sky and set them again the darks at the bottom. Instantly, the painting had power, at least in 1/2 of the oil. The upper part needed to be compelling on its own, but instead of continuing with more warm colors, I opted instead to use a much lighter, almost white sky.

The dark and light areas were made more interesting by adding a variety of colors to create depth and  patterns. This is essentially an image of land and sky made with strips of color but to make it more engaging, care was taken to vary the edges on the shapes and all the colors as they move across the canvas. The options were unlimited, and it made for a delightful puzzle.

New Works: Sun on Snow I and II, oil on panels, 24 x 24 inches

Sun on Snow I, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Sun on Snow II, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

I have been doing a lot of traveling in snow country lately, particularly in vast, open landscapes with unlimited sky in all directions. The simplicity of these snow covered fields called out for interpretation and I happily took up the task.

As a colorist, I was free to explore the possibilities but I still wanted to keep to a somewhat limited palette. That doesn't mean that the sky has to be blue or the snow is always white, but whatever the result, my goal was for the oils to be stark but nonetheless interesting.

It was a pleasure to sign these and share them with you.