In the Studio February 3, 2013

Here's a day in the studio.  I'm finishing up a 48 x 72 inch commission.  On the top left is an oil finished today, "Illuminated Autumn" (photo below) and on the floor is a framed giclee "Bright Flow." It's been a very busy and happy time in the studio lately.

Illuminated Autumn  oil on canvas 30 x 40 inches

Colorful Slope  oil on canvas 36 x 48 inches

I began with the smaller Illuminated Autumn and after two sessions in the studio, started on the larger Colorful Slope.  It didn't take long for the larger oil to take a different direction than I had originally intended. It was very pleasurable to finish the larger oil and then return to the original concept of the smaller work. Both paintings fed each other, each creating better works than I had anticipated.

Exhibition: The Madden Museum of Art Oct-Nov 2012

I am honored to be in a group exhibit at the Madden Museum of Art, Denver that just opened. The six of us will have an Artist's Reception Thursday October 25, 5-7pm.  The public is invited and the admission is free.  I hope you can make it.

Artists: Ken Elliott, Victoria Eubanks, Janice McDonald, Karen Scharer, Carol Ann Waugh, and Mary Williams. Out exhibit runs from Oct 4 -Nov 25.

Description:
Group show "to expand." Six non-conventional Colorado artists respond to The Madden Museum space with an exhibition of important new works. I have 21 works on exhibit and available for sale there.   more info   View all of Ken's works in the exhibit

 Six oils in the main gallery.  The center square is 5 x 5 feet.  This is a really large exhibition space!

Side gallery room with a number of my pastels and some oils, collage and prints on display.

Selected works from the exhibit:

 All Over Sunset oil on canvas 48 x 60

 Bright Encounter oil on canvas 60 x 60

 Hayfield Palette                     pastel                                      16 x 16

Heat on Snow pastel 15 1/4 x 19 1/8

New pastel, Bright Flow

In a response to Carly Hardy on facebook regarding the previous pastel post, "Bright Flow":

Carly: Must learn to push more in my paintings!! Love the way your colors flow into one another but still retain their own identity!"

I responded: "...sometimes you just have to insist on the colors. For me, it is often an arbitrary choice, and then I have to see if it works on that spot just fine or if I have to make modifications there or elsewhere to resolve the new color. It's easy to get artsy - cute... a fine line between something thrilling or just tacked on for effect. This was a good day at the office."

Carly Hardy does great color work...check her out.

Perhaps you would like to attend my upcoming oil and pastel workshop:
Making it Fine Art
A two-day workshop in Denver, Sat-Sun, July 21-22.
Two-day workshop: $225. per person  Complete info
Also, there are plans for a 2012 Summer or Fall Houston, TX workshop as well.  Please inquire

New Pastel: Bright Flow

A new pastel: Bright Flow, pastel on sanded paper, 8 x 14 1/2 inches
Also available as limited edition giclee print

I got to push off on this pastel.  It's a line of trees that I'm familiar doing, but I never got this much glow and chroma going on before.  I was aware of what was happening on the paper and kept adding power.

The tree on the right was a big problem.  It was a dark mass and I kept trying to resolved it as a dark body.  I finally ran out of reasonable options and just smashed in a bright yellow over the darks to make something, anything happen.  I got an unexpected result of a delicate, transparent tree and with some added details, a convincing addition to the right side of this work.

On the lower left side I added the reds, subtracting red color with a blue overlay from the left to right.  I debated toning down the far left red but elected to leave it exposed and ran more reds up into the line of trees.  It screams a bit this way and I like the noise it makes.  This will make a great path to a larger oil.

I did this during the Casey Klahn workshop recently in Denver.  He had the room cookin' it that day!  Did I tell you he is a dangerous character? :)

Perhaps you would like to attend my upcoming Ken Elliott oil and pastel workshop:
Making it Fine Art
A two-day workshop in Denver, Sat-Sun, July 21-22.
Two-day workshop: $225. per person  Complete info
Also, there are plans for a 2012 Summer or Fall Houston, TX workshop as well.  Please inquire