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

Grateful Notices: Contrasts at the Creek, oil on canvas 47.5 x 47.5 inches

Contrasts at the Creek, oil on canvas 47.5 x 47.5 inches

It is always a pleasure to hear that a sale has come through, and in this case from an esteemed art consultant in the Boston area. This is a favorite work I did some years ago using a strip landscape as a backdrop for the overall tree patterns. 

There is plenty of bright color coming through the darks and everything is further accentuated by the band of sky and even brighter glow from the creek. 

I was very happy to hear that the oil went into a private collection and they sent me a photo of the installation. Thank you!

New Work: Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches

Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches  $1350 framed
Exhibiting: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

This is all about a singular color and how to keep it interesting. I don't typically work monochromatically but the idea was to catch the greens lit up by a setting sun.

Everything was kept a bit rough at the edges so that the extra detail would add to the complexity. As the pastel progressed, the contrasting colors away from the sun looked best as red-browns and blue-greens. The harmonies were kept tight by using a minimum about of brights and darks.

I'm thinking all the pieces worked together successfully because my eye keeps circling around the pastel, taking it all in.