Sunday, April 14, 2013

Workshop: Houston, April 2013

Here's a view of the recent Houston workshop, April 2013. It went so fast! Here are some of the artists making their version of the same cloud photo.  It is fascinating to be in the room with all those points of view. Thanks to all that attended...we are all better and braver for the effort!

A tip of the hat to Paula Siegel, at the Mixed Emotions Gallery for allowing us the use of her beautiful space.

I'll be doing another Houston workshop in October 2013, date to be announced. Please let me know if you want to be contacted when the date is finalized. There are only 8 spots total for this class and signups have started.

Next Workshop  Complete info
Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn at our On Color Workshop July 20-21, 2013
Only a few spots left!
We will be taking your art and color to the next level, discussing strategies for your art career and throughly enjoying ourselves! The class is open to all media and skill levels.

Casey and I will mix up some crazy exercises for you to explore your color sense. Plan on being transported to the world of the abstract expressionists and the Fauvists. Demos, exercises and interaction by the group. All medias welcome. Lots of easel time. High energy!

Our class will be held in the remarkable Madden Museum of Fine Art space, Denver Metro.
To sign up or inquire, contact Ken or Casey.

Other 2013 two-day Making it Fine Art Workshops are forming in Denver, Austin, Cape Cod, Atlanta, Ventura County, CA and New York, 2013. Please inquire by email or 303-995-1611.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Workshop: Sold out ! Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn July 20-21, 2013


The On Color Denver Workshop is sold out!

But there are more Workshops to come. View Ken and Casey's upcoming workshop schedules for 2013 - 2014

Ken Elliott and Casey Klahn at our On Color Workshop July 20-21, 2013

We will be taking your art and color to the next level, discussing strategies for your art career and throughly enjoying ourselves! The class is open to all media and skill levels.

Casey and I will mix up some crazy exercises for you to explore your color sense. Plan on being transported to the world of the abstract expressionists and the Fauvists. Demos, exercises and interaction by the group. All medias welcome. Lots of easel time. High energy!

Our class will be held in the remarkable Madden Museum of Fine Art space, Denver Metro.
To sign up or inquire, contact Ken or Casey.

Hope to see you there!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Workshop, Denver 16-17, 2013

Here is the famous Group of Eight from my Denver workshop, April 16-17, 2013. Big things happened and we kept smiling all the way through with new works in a new way!

"You are so gracious. Thank you so much for the wonderful workshop and ALL that you shared. It was a great weekend."  Suzanne

Sign up for the Ken Elliott Houston workshop April 6-7, 2013  $225. per person. more info/sign up and the Casey Klahn and Ken Elliott Color Breakthrough! Workshop, July 20-21, $280 per person. more info/sign up

Susanne had the smallest canvas at the time but the attacked it with the biggest brush in the house....really!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

In the Studio March 12, 1013

In the studio today.

On the easel is a 40" x 40" corporate commission completed today. On the upper left is a work in progress, 3' x 5' and below it is a oil I'm reworking (Bright Flow, 3' x 5') and I'm very happy with the result. On the floor, right is a red 4' x 5' oil in progress. Up on the easel, right is a 20" pastel study for an oil yet to be born. It was a very busy day and good progress was made on all fronts. Note that the oils are tipped into the gold 'floater' frames. It helps to see them in the frames sometimes.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Workshop: Houston April 6-7, 2013


Ken Elliott


Making it Fine Art  Workshop


Houston  Sat-Sun, April 6-7, 2013 

view flyer


Ken will be discussing strategies for making fine art and taking your art to the next level.


oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches
Marsh Greens and Golds  oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches    sold


In his workshop:
This workshop is open to artists are all skill levels. Ken will discuss strategies for creating better artworks with a variety of common and creative tools. The workshop will focus the strategies for making better paintings, going to new places in your work and how to make fine art. Much attention will be given to improving your own artworks and career.

Ken will demonstrate painting using oil and pastel. He will discuss the idea of making strong starts and keeping the way open for more interesting and dramatic finishes. Ken is a very hands-on teacher, so there will be some collaboration if you are open to it.

In addition, Ken will talk about business and promotion, necessary to being a successful artist in the marketplace.

There will be serious discussions, laughs and your questions. We will all come away with new tools to take your art to the next level.


Complete info on my website.

Two-day workshop: $225. per person.
Contact Ken to sign up: email or 303-995-1611


Location: Mixed Emotions Fine Art and Framing
95 Tuam St. Houston, TX 77006   map
713-861-9666

Open to artists of all skill levels

11-5pm with after class discussions off-site? Dinner, etc?

This workshop is limited to a small number of artists and it will fill up quickly!

Other Workshops 2013:
Please contact me about teaching a workshop in your area.

Tentative plans are in the works for two-day formal painting and pastel workshops in 2013:  Denver May, Austin, Cape Cod, Atlanta, Ventura County, CA and New York. Two-day workshop: $225. per person.Some of you are interested in my traveling to your locale this year. Please give me a call and let's make it happen in your state.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Workshop: Via Picasso - Art Materials, don't let them get in the way.



There are a lot of ways to make art with endless materials not always found in the art store. It's healthy to see what other artists use for materials, but make sure that they are archival enough to stand the test of time. You may be making masterpieces, so don't shoot yourself in the foot!


 Masterpieces Made With House Paint

New York Times
By Douglas Quenqua
Published: February 18, 2013

Scientists using a high-energy X-ray instrument say they have solved the long-running debate over what kind of paint Picasso used in his masterpieces.

It was common house paint, said Volker Rose, a physicist at the Argonne National Laboratory who led the study, published in Applied Physics A: Materials Science & Processing.

“We were looking into pigments taken from Picasso’s white paint, which from a material perspective is zinc oxide, and we were able to study the impurities that are there,” Dr. Rose said.

The scientists also bought samples of decades-old house paint on eBay. After comparing those samples with Picasso’s paint, they determined that the two shared the same chemical makeup.

The instrument was a hard X-ray nanoprobe, developed by the Department of Energy to give scientists a close-up view of the chemical elements in physical materials. Its intended use is to improve the production of high-performance materials and energies. Using the nanoprobe, the researchers could view particles of paint that were just 30 nanometers wide. (A typical sheet of paper is 100,000 nanometers thick.)

In his regular work, Dr. Volker uses the nanoprobe to study zinc oxide, a key ingredient in batteries, energy-saving windows and liquid-crystal displays for computers and television. Because zinc oxide exists in white paint as well, it made a valuable clue for the physicist to learn about Picasso’s paint.

Some art historians have long held that Picasso was among the first major artists to switch from traditional artists’ paint to house paint, which is more affordable and creates a glossy image without brush strokes.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Denver Workshop, March 16-17

Ken Elliott
 Making it Fine Art  Workshop

Denver Metro
  Sat-Sun, March 16-17, 2013   view flyer

This workshop has been filled.  A new Denver workshop in May, 2013 ? will be announced  shorty.  Feel free to email me for more details and to sign up.

Other two-day Workshops 2013:  Houston April 6-7

Tentative plans are in the works for two-day formal painting and pastel workshops for 2013 in Austin, Cape Cod, Atlanta, Ventura County, CA and New York. Two-day workshop: $225. per person. Some of you are interested in my traveling to your locale this year. Please contact me and let's make it happen in your state.


Marsh in Greens and Golds   oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches    sold


Ken will be discussing strategies for making fine art and taking your art to the next level.

In his workshop:
This workshop is open to artists are all skill levels. Ken will discuss strategies for creating better artworks with a variety of common and creative tools. The workshop will focus the strategies for making better paintings, going to new places in your work and how to make fine art. Much attention will be given to improving your own artworks and career.

Ken will demonstrate painting using oil and pastel. He will discuss the idea of making strong starts and keeping the way open for more interesting and dramatic finishes. Ken is a very hands-on teacher, so there will be some collaboration if you are open to it.

In addition, Ken will talk about business and promotion, necessary to being a successful artist in the marketplace.

There will be serious discussions, laughs and your questions. We will all come away with new tools to take your art to the next level.


Complete info on my website

Two-day workshop: $225. per person.
This is an indoor workshop in Ken's home, Castle Rock, CO. 

This workshop is limited to only 6 artists at any skill level.