Grateful Notices: Red Wall at the Lake Pastel on paper, 17 5/8 x 23 3/8 inches

Red Wall at the Lake
Pastel on paper, 17 5/8 x 23 3/8  Sold, private collection
Exhibited,: Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, NY
Also available as a limited edition giclee print

The trees are an excuse to make a red pattern and the pattern is a device for the yellow trees and blues of the lake to to emerge from the background. All the colors and compositional elements work together toward a common goal - to make the reds as bright as possible.

The plan was a simple one, to set up the depth like screens in a stage play and to have horizontal bands of colors dancing across. It was a straightforward enough idea but it took hundreds of pastel strokes to make it come to life. I had a lot of joy in the creation of it and hopefully it comes through in the work.

My thanks to the collector and Madelyn Jordan Fine Art!

Grateful Notices: Summer Haze, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Summer Haze oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches
Private collection, MAExhibited: Saks Galleries, Denver

My grateful thanks to the Massachusetts collector and everyone at Saks Galleries, Denver for making this acquisition possible!

Grateful Notices:Yellows Across the Lake oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

Yellows Across the Lake  oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
Private collection, Seattle

Many thanks to the person that purchased this oil. 

I put the pressure on myself by filming myself painting it. As I mentioned in the video, this idea sprang from a teeny pastel sketch I did years before. I remember staying up very late at night with that pastel, struggling very hard with it. In desperation, I scratched it all out with a razor blade and quickly reconstructed it. Out of the ashes came a very nice pastel. 

Years later, it became this oil that that is now hanging in a private collection, a great honor.

View the 13 min. video of Ken creating a 40 x 40 inch oil on canvas from start to finish

Narrating as he paints, Ken describes his methods as the painting develops.

Video credit:
Marianne Pestana Media Services


 

Grateful Notices: Bright Conversation, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Bright Conversation Oil on panel, 24 x 24

My thanks to the collectors that purchased this oil and to the the wonderful staff at the Sorelle Gallery in New Canaan, CT.

Here's a bit more about this oil:

This oil started with that bright yellow sky. Since this is a 24 x 24 image, things can happen really fast and they did! I was searching for a means to create the opposite of that bright sky, something dark, by using a line of colorful trees.

A number of tree patterns came and went until the present shape emerged with that dark reveal at the base of the trees. The foreground went through of permutations as well, with a number of complex to simple arrangements being tried out.

At one point during the creation of this I realized that despite the scale, the time involved was the same as a much larger oil. It was still a 500 piece puzzle, so to speak, but the pieces were just smaller.

The work finally started to come together with the addition of the hot pink and purple in the distant hill and a generous about of ochres and yellows everywhere.

I thought it was done and left it for a couple of days, but seeing it fresh in the studio again it came off just a bit too monochromatic, so the greens and blues were added just under the base of the trees and at the bit of standing water in the lower left.

It was very satisfying to pull all on the elements and unnatural colors together although it didn't come quickly.

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.

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!

Grateful Notices: Gathering Light II, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

Gathering Light II, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches Private collection
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

How far can you push red and orange in a landscape? As it turns out, quite a bit. The wall of colors in this background pushed the whole painting into a hot and surreal scene that demanded more bold moves to make it work - high contrast darks and bright yellows. 

it is always a pleasure to do a high-key oil like this but in order to do so, the real world has to be abandoned and given over to this new world of delicious brights in a red atmosphere. The real-world subtleties of greys and soft tones are burned out, leaving the a chord of bright, clear notes. Sometimes you just wanna shout!

My thanks to the collectors that purchased this oil from Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM.

Grateful Notices: Color at the Edge of the Lake, oil on canvas, 30 x 48 inches

Color at the Edge of the Lake, oil on canvas, 30 x 48 inches
Private collection
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

It was a nice surprise to get a call from Dominique with the news that one of her clients had just purchased this painting for their home. I was in the Colorado mountains at the time with views of a snowy paradise all around and the gallery call just capped an already perfect day. Thank you!

Here are the earlier blog notes describing this painting:

I was visiting a friend in the Baltimore area some years ago and came across a photo from that trip, a small stand of trees at the edge of a lake. The photograph was very different, with even lighting and all green foliage.

Regardless, I liked the composition and began the painting with a somewhat subdued palette. After a few sessions, the painting evolved into scene with the light coming in from the back, accentuating the dark trunks in the foreground,

There is a lot of color involved, each with its own part of the tapestry. Earlier, the foreground was darker with more blues but I later opted for a soft carpet of jewel tones spaced among the slightly glowing greens. 

At this point, the subdued palette idea went out the window once I added the more powerful colors to the wall of trees beyond the lake. It was a delight to push the color back there and now I'll pass it onto you.

New Work: Bright Conversation, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

Bright Conversation, oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches  $2150 unframed
Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT

This oil started with that bright yellow sky. Since this is a 24 x 24 image, things can happen really fast and they did! I was searching for a means to create the opposite of that bright sky, something dark, by using a line of colorful trees.  

A number of tree patterns came and went until the present shape emerged with that dark reveal at the base of the trees. The foreground went through of permutations as well, with a number of complex to simple arrangements being tried out. 

At one point during the creation of this I realized that despite the scale, the time involved was the same as a much larger oil. It was still a 500 piece puzzle, so to speak, but the pieces were just smaller.

The work finally started to come together with the addition of the hot pink and purple in the distant hill and a generous about of ochres and yellows everywhere.

I thought it was done and left it for a couple of days, but seeing it fresh in the studio again it came off just a bit too monochromatic, so the greens and blues were added just under the base of the trees and at the bit of standing water in the lower left.

...looks like a good idea for a much larger oil. 

New Work: Color at the Edge of the Lake, oil on canvas, 48 x 30 inches

Color at the Edge of the Lake
Oil on canvas, 48 x 30 inches  $6400 framed
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

I was visiting a friend in the Baltimore area some years ago and came across a photo from that trip, a small stand of trees at the edge of a lake. The photograph was very different, with even lighting and all green foliage.

Regardless, I liked the composition and began the painting with a somewhat subdued palette. After a few sessions, the painting evolved into scene with the light coming in from the back, accentuating the dark trunks in the foreground,

There is a lot of color involved, each with its own part of the tapestry. Earlier, the foreground was darker with more blues but I later opted for a soft carpet of jewel tones spaced among the slightly glowing greens. 

At this point the subdued palette idea went out the window once I added the more powerful colors to the wall of trees beyond the lake. It was a delight to push the color back there and now I'll pass it onto you.

Video: At the Ponds Edge, Emerging Spring, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

At the Ponds Edge, Emerging Spring, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches
Exhibiting: Sorelle Gallery, New Canaan, CT

Ken describes how the 4' x 5' oil, At the Ponds Edge, Emerging Spring evolved. This work took about a year to make as it went through a number of changes.

Video: 2 minutes

New Work: Jeweled Forest, oil on panel, 18 x 24 inches

Jeweled Forest   oil on panel, 18 x 24 inches  $1575

This is a small work for me and I enjoyed the process. Since I'm typically working in the 4-6 ft range, it is amazing how rapidly things happen in a two foot world!

There was an older oil under this panel that had been sitting around in the studio for about a year. Now that 2018 had begun it felt like a good time to have another go at that image. 

My first thought was to improve the existing oil but as soon as the first brushstroke was applied, I realized that I didn't want to just tweak what was there. Now I had an opportunity to do something much bolder and that's were the orange background came in. 

I'm typically working with 1/2" width brushes and they cover canvases quickly, even at 5 or 6 feet.  In this case, it was like having making an acre of orange forest in minutes with the painting asking, "OK, did that, now what?" 

I was great fun to 'locate' the green trees rather than representing them in detail. The bright greens held their own against the orange background nicely. The yellow foreground in the bottom right is all that remains of the original painting and I used that area as a bright inspiration for everything that followed. 

There are always a lot of options for sky besides blue and that was my plan. First I put down a bit of blue and purposely left remnants of the original oil in the sky. My intention was to bring in another color over the blue creating something different. Hmmmmm, those remnants are nice with those random bits of yellow mingling with the blue... an unexpected surprise that made a common blue sky a lot more interesting. OK then, add another, brighter blue to the mix and create a glowing sky - push the blue.

From there I added more dark, contrasting areas in the trees and it was done.

...now to figure out those other 4-6 foot canvases waiting for their solutions.

Grateful Notices: Autumn Cascade I and II, oils on canvas, 32 x 32 inches

Autumn Cascade I, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches
Private collection

Autumn Cascade II, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches
Private collection

I have always had a soft spot for these two oils so I was delighted when they were purchased together for a private collection.

There is a great deal of paint texture on these and it is evidence of the many changes that these two oils went through. The big take away from these two works came about when I realized the artworks were in good shape but they weren't fresh enough. I certainly didn't want to do another round of adding more layers of paint and making small tweaks. So I just loaded up the brush and quickly painted what was needed in bold strokes. 

Well that worked nicely with the red trees in the background and after doing the same to the yellow trees, the painting came to life. All of the previous work wasn't wasted though. All of that layering produced a thick, rich texture for the last strokes to dance over. It was reminiscent of those Monets I saw on the museum walls. "How did he get that texture?"  

Now I know. He was constantly adding layers to his work with his long bristle brushes... thousands of moves, dabbing and dabbing. He said that he never really finished a canvas, indicating that he could always find another place to dab on more color to achieve perfection. 

I know the feeling!

My sincere thanks to the collector that purchased these two works.