Grateful Notices: Trees in Shadow, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 inches

My sincere thanks to the collectors that purchased this oil.

About this artwork:
This painting came from a previous and smaller oil, Winters Evening, a 30 x 30 canvas.
 
I was very intrigued by the upper part of the earlier oil and wanted to do a larger, wider version while pushing the colors further. Starting with the deep purple, it was quickly apparent that this would be a bolder oil and the strong blue overlay made that happen.
 
It’s an unusual composition with the trees emerging from a dark hillside and upward to the iridescent sky, creating a powerful contrast all along the tree-sky edge.
 
This is a high-key color work and this oil was like a horse that wanted to run! I took my time and in the space of a month, a number of subtleties were added a bit at a time, adding interest and complexity.
 
It is one of those simple looking works that has hundreds of moves in it and somewhere in that scene is the tightrope that I was walking the entire time.

New Work: Color in Motion, oil canvas, 30 x 30 in.

 

Color in Motion

Oil canvas, 30 x 30 in.
Private Collection

 
About this oil:
I set out to do a painting with this palette in mind and after considering different landscapes, the idea of clouds was the most appealing choice and it offered the most flexibility.
 
The oil was first laid out with tangerine and yellow and once the shapes were roughly in place, then the fun began. What colors are needed to make the tangerine and yellow more interesting? The best way to find out is by trying out various combinations.
 
The exciting part is when something good and unexpected happens. Once that combination takes a spot on in the composition, it sends out a ripple, raising the bar across the canvas.
 
There were a number of those surprises and it resulted in the addition of layered of blues and purples at the top of the piece. Not only did they provide a nice counterpoint to the warmer colors but they also indicated atmosphere, a big improvement to the piece and something I love to do.
 
Creating paintings is a delightful experience, setting off on a creative journey to what often ends up being an unknown destination. If all goes well, someone will take it home and it begins another life, another journey.

February Newsletter 2023

February News: "Painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is." — Jackson Pollock A lot of what I do has been described as powerful and calm, colorful and poetic, simple and complicated. Apparently, and like so many of us, we are full of contradictions and difficult to describe.  It's nice not to have too many limits! A number of new oils have been started this month and there is the usual crowd of existing canvases in progress, insistently waiting their turn. Two finished oils follow below. It has been a pleasurable month of friends, artists and tasks completed. The world can be a difficult place, but I am fortunate to be able to create a measure of calm in the studio and put it out into the world for you.

New Works: Into the Green Forest Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches Exhibiting: Exhibiting: Saks Galleries, Denver, CO $10500 framed About this oil Winters Evening Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches $4400 framed In the studio  About this oil Available Works: Purple Woods Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches Exhibiting: Boston Art, Boston, MA $6650 framed About this oil Sunset Impression, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches Exhibiting: Page + Waterman Gallery, Wellesley, MA $5350 framed About this oil Red Stand Oil on canvas, 40 X 40 inches $6650 framed Currently in the U.S. Art for Embassies program, installed in the Ambassadors Residence, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Workshops and Mentoring Sessions: Take your work to new heights. My Workshops and Mentoring Sessions will focus on strategies for making better paintings, colorist tools, going to new places in your work and making fine art. We will be going deeper into making better and more appealing artworks with a variety of strategies and in some sessions, there will be time for Photoshop insights made easy. all workshop info Here's a video about what happens in the Group and Private Workshops View my newest artworks sign up for this newsletter here Winter Light II Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 inches Exhibiting: Bill Hester Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico $8200 framed About this oil This monthly newsletter is the best way to stay up to date with my new works and events. You can also follow me on Facebook and go more in depth with my blog. To view the total of my works in all media and in all my galleries, go to www.kenelliott.com Pass this onto a friend and they can sign up for this newsletter here. Thank you, Ken