The Day I Ran A Painting Marathon

[This blog is taken from an entry in my art journal from a few years ago – thought you would enjoy it.  Pictures are from the Marathon session. Don't try this at home.] 

            The painting process really appeals to me. Sometimes, however, I can get lost in time and end up over-working a painting. I tried to use techniques to help prevent this problem, but nothing seemed to help until one day while watching a Marathon running event I got an idea.  What about a timed event for painting, something more than “a painting a day”, why not one painting per hour? Maybe a Marathon of 26 paintings in 24 hours.

            Now we’re talking some serious painting.     

            Yes, its quirky, but artists tend to experiment with all sorts of quirky exercises. The best day came, a day free of the trials of daily life, a whole twenty- four hours worth. My stash of canvas surfaces all lined up, studio cleaned, well, almost. Ready to paint. Then I leaned down, zing, a muscle in my back let lose. Oops, should have stretched before the big race. Eight o’clock starting time became 10 o’clock. Have to stay focused, get this race going.

            Lining up reference photos that were taken from last summer’s trip gave a sense of being in the forests and dunes of Michigan. By matching the photo to the canvases I should have the first painting completed soon, right?

The first pack of three canvases had ripples in the weave. A little gesso should help to solve this glitch. Good enough. I just blew most of an hour.   

            Eleven a.m. the first of many canvas boards hit the easel. I like to paint much larger so this should be easy. My fast drying acrylics were working great but forty five minutes into the first of twenty-six paintings was going slower than expected. Could it be that I was dabbing and dallying? The whole reason for this marathon was to speed up the painting process with simplicity and discipline. I’ll have to keep better track of time.

            The first painting was finally completed in less than one hour and not too bad, if I say so myself.

            To celebrate, I did some stretching exercises for the stiff back, and took a long look at the couch. Maybe I should test it for upcoming naps?

             Wow! Fifteen minutes into my second painting and I’m on the couch sleeping. After doing some self-reaming, I got back at the goal.

The process continued through the day. I would have to work through interruptions like the maintenance person coming to fix a sagging light fixture. Paint, stretch sore muscles, and rest through the afternoon and into evening if the marathon was to be completed.  

            The safe place for completed work was beginning to fill up. To my surprise some paintings were pretty good. The weaker were ones off by a few brush strokes. The overworking problem seemed to be under control at least for now.

            Dinner break came and yes I succumbed to the human cravings. Food, I need food. After wolfing down too much dinner, the inner voice was yelling, “get back to work.”

            In a small college town where I once lived, the townies came out to watch a Marathon spectacle - Young people running twenty-six miles. How strange that was for us, seeing the college kids plod their way up the steep hill to the main street, their faces etched in pain, bodily fluids leaking.  This vivid image crept into my thoughts as I too plodded along. The many cups of tea had to be dealt with or I, too, would be that ominous soul on the up hill of this painting marathon.    

            I painted on into the evening.  The sun set, night came over the sleepy town as my studio light shone onto the empty streets. Paintings kept getting finished and still they looked pretty darn good. What was going on here? Was I in some kind of time warp?

            Breaks between paintings were getting longer. Late night talk shows could be heard coming from the next room. The specter the marathon runners began to appear in my mind as images of exhausted, plodding, tragic apparitions. My back was stiff and sore but thoughts of crossing the finish line with twenty-six finished paintings dogging me on. This was a rare moment in an Artist’s life. I had to keep going. But for how long?

            Late Late  shows wafted into the studio. The sore back turned into back pain, the nasty kind. We’re programmed not quit, right? Those gol darn blank canvases lined up waiting for the artist’s hand. I could not drop out; too many people knew I was out to do a painting marathon.

            Then inspiration hit me. I know how the Half-Marathon was invented. Yes, high fives all around, I just finished 13 paintings, a glorious half painting marathon, none of them overworked, all of them colorful and bearing the gift of simplicity.

Joel

A Road Trip To Remember

       I am sitting at the computer and glancing at a completed painting that turned out great if I do say so myself. The photo inspiration came from a photo revisit. Let me explain. When I was in my a child my family took a Michigan road trip. My father stayed home to manage his business. In his place my grandfather became our tour guide. He took us up the middle of the state across to Lake Michigan by car ferry boat and into Wisconsin then up to the Upper Peninsula and down the straits of Mackinac. We had many stops at historic sites and rich scenery of Pure Michigan. When we stopped we would pile out of the car stretch our tired bodies and take pictures, lots of pictures.  

       Many years later these stops  were revisited on my own family’s road trips. One such site stands out for its extreme beauty. I stopped the car in the Upper Peninsula (this time we took the impressive Mackinac Bridge) to stretch our legs at a parking pull off. We walked down a dark and shady worn path that led under a huge iron bridge over a little stream with moss covered boulders. Cameras were clicking away as we tried to capture this majestic scene to remember at home. Standing in this pristine site filled with cool texture and a symphony of sounds it suddenly occurred to me that this wonderful place was one of the stops on my childhood family journey so many years ago. Some things actually may stay the same at least for one lifetime.

       I got an email from an art gallery that has a summer theme of forests of Michigan. The image was there in that pleasant place in my memory, dense forests, pure tumbling water and moss covered rocks. After finding the second generation photo of my journey into that beautiful scene, my interpretation was on course. As things go in the arts, the gallery might or might not take this forest painting. The process of art in this case reminded me that the first step – inspiration - is motivated by many sources. In this case, I am so happy to have returned to a very special memory.    

       As we watch parents do their parenting thing, we have to marvel at all the effort that goes into raising and nurturing a child. That family trip many years ago is fondly remembered. Here’s to the family road trip and may we all have many more. 

Joel                                         Upper Peninsula scene, second time around 

The Passion of Original Art

Great Lakes Passage by Joel F Ellis, 27x35

During a featured artist show of my works a few years ago, a woman brought her older blind friend to “see” my paintings. I was a little startled, but more honored to give a personal tour of the work with the woman.  I described various pieces as we came to them when she stopped me and said that her friend liked the texture in my work. She wanted me to help her see through feeling the textures with the descriptions. We came to a large painting, Great Lakes Passage, with palette knife ridges and defined brush strokes of dune grasses, she moved her fingers over texture that can only be experienced in personal viewing. No flat copy or digital image shows the true sense of the work. She stayed with the painting a long time, moving her fingers along the sand passage to the great lake, when she turned to me and said, “It is a beautiful original painting, reminds me of camping in the dunes.”              

Original art, what is it? Though much of my work ranges from heavy texture to smooth color on canvas, the whole experience has been lingering with me as technology changes so much for us. The art community is a buzz with the shakeup of digital possibilities. With so much reprinted work available they ask, what will the art gallery look like in the next few years and how will the art community ignore or embrace the changes? These are some of the questions swirling out there in our Saturday morning gathering of artists.

Original art, as the name explains, is created by the artists and has their finger prints all over the piece, so to speak, and sometimes actually embedded in the material. The patron who receives the original has the only work by that artist, there can only be one original. This is the promise or compact between artist and patron. Replicas are another art form depicting the original using today’s technology with impressive exactness of color and image. Not texture. Even Giclée , which I offer of some of my paintings, can capture finite details with options such as size changes using almost exact pigment replicas of the original, but never the texture unless added in to the final replica product by the artist, noted and signed with limited edition documentation for collectors. As I said, Another art form.

The digital world is astounding us with its infinite possibilities, many challenges and new avenues that can lead to unlimited potential for the adventurists. Digital art itself presents a whole new consideration of the concept of original. New to the field of fine art – digital art has the potential to explore so much beyond liquid colors on canvas. Digital art today is well into the discussions just as photography as a fine art has been discussed since the medium took steps beyond true image, leaving a collector to wonder which is the original, and does it matter any more?

I think it does. Online art galleries are out there waiting to wow the customer with their wares and some very fine looking art.  Comparing the art markets to the vast food industry in America, the online art would be like a huge chain store, while the artists down the street would be in the local farmers market. Buying original art allows the patron the opportunity to get to know the artists, to put a hand on the same materials, to feel the passion that the artists felt in the production of the work.

All this is not to say that the miracle of the internet does not play an important role in exposure to original art. I do have an on line presence, web site (www.joelellisart.com ) and yes this blog. The discussions of original art, though confusing in the new digital age, are invigorating, almost like a sensory finger climb on great lake dune.

Joel

An Artist? What do you really do?

 We’ve had a busy beginning to the graduation/summer season visiting friends and family. Often  folks at these get-togethers look at me curiously and ask how things are going.  Are they waiting for the confession - yes I am an artist doing what artists do, whatever we do in the studio. Maybe they wonder: Could there be nudes in the studio? Wild parties, loose women, drinking strange substances and cutting off earlobes? No, nothing so dramatic in this life as an artist.

I pulled out an article I wrote a few years ago about confessing to an upscale art gallery that , yes I am an  artist. The gallery liaison looked me over and stifled a snicker – no funky clothes, no beret. I wanted to defend my statement but that would have taken that incredulous look off her face.

 It is not easy putting your hopes and dreams out there for people you hardly know to examine your soul. But look how far I’ve come, me, writing a blog on the creative process for the whole world to see. That process includes endless questioning and self-doubt, rushing me back to my worn copy of Art and Fear – Observations On The Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking  (Bayles & Orland).

Yes, I am an artist, I can tell by all the painted clothes hanging on hooks in my studio, by the storage bins swelling with comfort smelling oils on canvas, with a bookcase full of painter’s catalogs, and best, the genuinely positive comments from dear friends, family, and customers regarding the new works displayed on the website (www.joelellisart.com).  Most importantly, I think I am an artist because I know creating the forms and colors is really fun and exciting, even though I still have all my earlobes (with apologies to Vincent Van Gogh, who I greatly admire). 

Enjoy these lovely days of summer,

Joel

                                                     Cooling of the Dunes by Joel F. Ellis

                                                       Best of Show, Mid-Michigan Art Guild, 2012

DIA, FIA, KIA, and SAC Art in Michigan, Check It Out!

Summer is finally here with all the ballgames and family gatherings. Travel to and from these fun times will be a blessing and a lots of fun. In summer, we move around the state a great deal. Along with the family and the drop off and pickup of art entries, we accumulate a whole lot of miles on the road. There is also the bonus of new sights to explore.

Michigan is a very diverse and beautiful state that never fails to amaze the serendipity explorer. As we travel this northern U S state we are amazed by the bountiful natural water reservoir, the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan, I think, is the jewel in the Great Lakes crown. With its broad sand beaches and dense emerald forests and inland lakes that give the nature lover a superb blend of natural beauty.

If your fair is the urban life don’t miss the many charming small towns. The small cafes and bakeries with their friendly locals are as pleasant as any town in Europe. Check out Northport, Michigan - great cinnamon rolls! 

If your travels take you on the many miles of expressways don’t forget to pull off at some world class art venues and fine art galleries throughout Michigan. Detroit with it diverse ethnic population can be a lot of fun to explore. Don’t forget the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), one of the best in the world. Be sure to stop and marvel at the grand historic and masterful Diego Rivera mural. There are many art communities that are a must see for a Michigan art tour.

Flint Institute of Art (FIA)  is as classic as any urban art venue in the country, with an exceptional permanent collection as well as classy travelling shows. Kalamazoo Institute of Art (KIA) rests in a very artistic region. The exhibits are world class. That was where we first became aware of Tunis Ponson’s work which is now under the curatorial protection of Roy Saper of Saper Gallery in East Lansing. Yes, right here in this artsy little town with big visions for art.  

A great example of smaller community superb art exhibits is Shiawassee Art Center (SAC) in Owosso where art thrives through an enthusiastic collaboration between staff, volunteers, friends of, and the community businesses and individuals. Many communities throughout Michigan have this same enthusiasm for the importance of art in the health of the community. Check them out as you travel.

Saugatuck-Douglas has some of the best art venues in the state, and a little further up the west coast of Michigan you can find other fun art communities: Traverse City where original art abounds, Manistee, and Charlevoix with contemporary galleries and old world classical paintings. These are just a few.

ArtPrize (in September), in Grand Rapids, has grown into international importance with its size and diverse venues throughout the city. One of the main attractions for huge sculptural art and smaller works in the main building gallery is at beautiful Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. That is where we became reacquainted with the excellent kenetic sculptor, George Rickey.

I’ll keep you posted on the various venues and paintings we deliver, and here’s hoping we do a lot of traveling this new art season.

Happy art travels, Joel

Sharing the Joy of Creating Art

People often ask very interesting questions when they find that you are an artist: how long does it take to paint a painting, why did I do this or that to the painting or where did I get the idea for the painting. These plus many more questions are often fielded at unusual times, not always in the exhibit.
My artistic grandson one day asked me more specific questions. His curiosity was more to the point, when did I get started in art and why?

                                                     A drawing by my grandson, Tyler

These bold questions can make a fellow take pause for a moment and look at the sweet innocent face asking these profundities. Ahh, an opening for me to share all the unsaids about this career. Here was my chance to imprint a little of myself on this fine young specimen.

I got started many years ago when I observed my father finding relief from his own hard physical work through painting calm scenes. I observed his process of setting up his handmade easel, laying out the paints on his handmade palette, and creating right before our eyes. The paintings were just for him, when they were done many became a patch or other in his handmade factory of producing cement blocks. What I learned most from my father, the artist, was the pure joy of creating. He was not hindered by critics or financial gain.

The image of my father painting remained with me as I experimented with pure-joy-creating in various artistic ways – photography, sculpture, sketching. I learned so much more in college with a series of art experiences on my credentials. Then I learned that it is very difficult to raise a family doing art, though I have close friends who worked hard at their sculptures and have made a name for themselves in the art world. For me, I chose education as my day job. Career transitions come with time and I was provided with a good amount of time to experience the pure joy of creating. Unlike my father’s choice of retaining the moments of creating his work, I decided to also share the work and I have thoroughly enjoyed that part of being an artist. So my dear grandson, I am doubly happy to have chosen to be an artist.

After that quick exchange of arty conversation, we moved as all good conversations do to other subjects like philosophy and music and the combinations of the two. I learned some things about his progress and curiosity in art and the role it plays in his world. This could be a beginning for us. I know I am just a link in this great big journey of time and hope good can come from it. We’ll keep the color pencils, words of encouragements, and a little guidance flowing in hopes of insuring the next generation of artists.

Joel  (www.joelellisart.com  ) 

The Perfect Painting - What Do You Think?

What makes the perfect painting?  Is it a landscape with trees and lakes, perhaps with a sailboat gently bobbing on the blue lake? In 1993, the People’s Choice project by Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid described in The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution (Dennis  Dutton ) studied the artistic preference of folks in ten countries. In the study they want to town hall meeting to hear just what makes the perfect landscape. A worldwide poll conducted by various public opinion firms of simple artistic preference questions covered close to two billion people’s opinion.

Take a moment and think what you feel would make the perfect painting.

What did you picture? Did you have a blue sky, trees, water?  If you did you would be on track with the findings of the research.  Universally the ideal painting was a landscape with water, people and animals. The ideal color almost exclusively is blue. The researchers even noted a link back to our early ancestors who were looking for a cozy safe place to live. We seem to carry this image deep in our brain that comes out when we look for that perfect landscape.

A bitter side note… the esteemed researchers warned that the most disliked paintings described in the research were abstract designs. Sadly, the product of my new artistic excitement – brilliant abstracts,  will never be accepted by the masses. Fortunately, I still also love the dunes and forests, close enough to the perfect landscape. I think times are changing and the viewers and supporters of modern art, in these very fascinating art times, have already proven the People’s Choice project prediction regarding abstracts as weak if not faulty.

So keep looking at the beauty and changing earth we call home and find your perfect landscape, then squint at that sunset and just maybe you can make your own abstract. 

 This piece called Little Lake, or

 Spontaneous Bloom? What's your choice?

Happy looking, Joel