Is It Over Yet?

 Could it be over? You know, the Covid thing that has changed our lives so much. It seems so strange how the world’s people have been put to the test of a century and humanity is coming out of its greatest challenge with a new compassion for all the subtle joys.

I have been hoping to compose that paragraph for months and it looks like we will truly be back to our former routines with a greater appreciation for the thing we took for normal.

The fine folks at Shiawassee Art Center (SAC) have strived to keep a positive arts environment alive through these times with variations on their shows and they, too, are back. SAC requested keeping three paintings from the recent featured artists show to display currently with my newest painting going in mid-June for the Membership Show.

Tranquility, 24x28 oil on linen. One of three Joel Ellis paintings, 

popular in the virtual Featured Artists Show in March, 

invited to be retained in the SAC gallery for summer 2021. 

Let me tell you a little about the latest painting. I had taken an especially dynamic photo a few years ago that continues to stand out when I am getting ready to paint. Of course the image was on a Lake Michigan dune. All the things I like to paint were on full glory display that day - sky, dunes, clouds and water. The 30x40 canvas was ready, dreamy Debussy music and sweet memory of a perfect summer day. The paint and the music blended to create a strong work. I finished and walked away feeling great. A few hours passed, so I took a sneak peek at the new masterpiece. I was surprised and deflated. So I put the canvas away for another day trying not to beat myself up too much. 

Pine Bay 20x16, currently displayed at 

McLaren Physicians Building Lansing, Michigan

After a few days I carefully took a quick glance at the dune painting. With a couple of changes it began to show improvements, not there yet but a little better. My patience was wearing thin. I took a crumpled paper towel and dabbed it in yellow and orange paint, plopped it on the foreground and suddenly the painting popped to life. I will include that painting in a future blog.

If you have read this far you know painting is an adventure, a touch of this, a touch of that and each work of art becomes a kind of magic that artists try so passionately to convey to viewers.

If you are in Michigan this summer and seek a lovely place to view art, include a visit to Shiawassee Art Center in Owosso in your plans.   Happy viewing. Joel