Cool Paintings for Cool Cities

       A few days ago we had a family gathering and birthday celebration, a great way to keep the summer a little longer. The house was specially cleaned and made ready for the family. A friend said the good part about a party is an excuse to really clean the house and the added bonus, tasty left

Autumn Dune Grasses, 16x20 oil on linen
(Copyright Joel F. Ellis)

overs.

       One relative guest wanted to see the studio. She was from another state and gets to Michigan once a year. She walked into another world of colors, shapes and smells. Her reaction was surprising to me.

       Oh, cool Joel, this is really cool.

       We forget the person not creating the art is entering into a whole new world. She was quick to spot the painting in progress, and not shy about talking about the parts she liked.  As a piece is “in the process” of creation we go through levels of ecstasy and dismay until all the weak parts are discovered, analyzed and improved. I have found a break from the painting process will give my eye a better insight into the improvements needed. That’s where a cup of tea comes in handy; a moment of contemplating the tea of choice for this painting session is a real plus.  A minute or so later and the fun starts up again until that next sip of tea and a chance to see the painting in progress beginning to transform by the step back and check process.

       Many years ago my university oil painting professor said it takes two people to paint a successful painting, one to apply paint and one to tell the artist when to stop. A good artist’s friend added that he wishes all artists could be more self-critical of their work. I put a little note in my journal about the comment hoping he wasn’t being tactful about my artist endeavors.

       Over the last few months we have been putting my work in for judging to get into some special shows. Some are accepted and some not, that is the process we all face in the arts. We put our efforts out to be viewed and evaluated by the audience. It would  be wonderful if all comments were “Oh, cool Joel, this is really cool.”

       As a side note – I am happy to say that two of those special shows have been accepted:

• I was one of six artists selected for the “Art in the Sky” project, a partnership with Adams Outdoor Advertising (billboards) and the Greater Lansing Arts Council. The painting, Bold Beach, (see previous blog, September1) will be presented on a billboard within a 100 mile radius of  greater Lansing to help promote the arts in our Mid-Michigan area and show how “cool” arts are in the Lansing area.
• Purple Pair, a special painting was selected by the RiverGallery for “Reaching for the Light” curated by the gallery at Rackham Hall, University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus. I am delighted by these entries and acceptance.

Welcome to a colorful autumn

Joel

Purple Pair 18x24 acrylic on linen, currently exhibited at Rackham Hall, University of Michigan
(Copyright Joel F. Ellis)

Begin with a New Canvas, and Cookies

       When we go into the studio to get back to work we have to clear all the stuff of life out of the way so the paint will fly freely. In the book Claude and Camille, the lives of the artists living and working in France during the late 1800’s, puts us in touch with their significant difficulties. For most of the painters that became known as the impressionists, life was a hand to hand struggle with poverty and the events of the emerging European nations. Some went on to be the super stars that still attract crowds to museums around the world today. Just how did they overcome these difficult times with little financial support? Looking over the pages of history, some came with a strong family financial support system while others worked day jobs. Some were fortunate to have a patron for that much needed help to keep the break-through art flowing. Having a support system can come in many forms in today’s world, from the internet world to the local artist group. We all need a little pat on the back and a kind smile to keep us going.

Bold Beach  16x20 oil on canvas

       But going back to the studio we still have to deal with the stuff of life’s issues. We still have to be in that creative zone. For me I often think how my two grandsons are doing in art school and hoping their art journey can be as rewarding and full of adventure as mine. There are so many things I have learned and would love to share, but they will learn when there is a need and they too will have their eureka moments to build on.

       And just where do we put the struggles of daily life when we look at the clean canvas and start that something new? That something new is just that, a new start that reflects the artist’s environment and is a part of the artist’s take on the happenings in their times. Some events can be horrific while others can be mellow and calming. These real life events can be the energy that propels the artist to go on to the next level and bear their soul to make that creation reflect the times we live in.    

     

Salute to Summer   30x40 acrylic on canvas

The stuff of life is important and we all deal with these events in our way, some with the printed word, others with the paint brush and some with a fresh batch of cookies. Bless the cookie maker for they will for sure make the world a sweeter place to create.

Joel
www.joelellisart.com

Goya, Picasso Speak from Courage

       Have you ever gotten lost in your favorite art museum or art gallery going from painting to painting ooing and awing and the next piece before you is a light switch? Our first reaction usually is wow what is this cool art piece? We quickly come out of our euphoria and hide a little laugh. The moment of seeing the “real world” is that moment, that sweet moment, wishing we could always see our world with that feeling.

       Now how do we get this “light switch as art” feeling in our daily lives? We could visit as much of the art that we can take in but that might be too much of a good thing. Artists prepare for the mysterious trip into their creative place each in their own way. If the artist is apprehensive and doubtful, their work will show it, but if they plunge in bravely with confidence it too will sparkle and speak to the courage it took to present the soul of the artist to the world. Picasso created some of his best art during the occupation of Paris and Goya told his stories through his creative art during the inquisition.   

       We like to think the lives of artists are courageous and confident, but in a careful reading about the lives of those well-known and remembered creators we learn they come in all backgrounds and levels of influences in their lives. In Goya’s The Third of May 1808, to help the world to experience his pain and passion, we are thrust before the firing squad. Picasso takes us to the bombing of a modern day city to experience his pain in his massive work Guernica.
       Remember the “light switch as art?” We are sensitized by our personal experiences and the times we live in. Our personal life, our circle of family and friends and beyond all blend with the events of the world we live in. Hopefully we feel the enrichment of life the artists have presented to us, the viewer. The artist’s goal is to help us see the world a little clearer and more intense so we can make a better place to live on this big blue marble slipping through space. 

The Third of May 1808 by Francisco de Goya

Enjoy this art summer, 
Joel  www.joelellisart.com 

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

Perseverance 22x27 acrylic on canvas  Joel F Ellis

Jan van Eyck Was Here, What's in a Signature

Cool of the Dunes  20x24 oil on canvas

       Signatures - we all use our personal identification every day. Artists, too, have the special identification mark we use to make things legal and official. Think back to our first checking account when we had to sign the bank paper work. We learned to practice the name over and over until we got something that looked presentable and official. The artist has the same issues to consider, our official ID and one that says, “I am the creator of this work of art.” In the beginning we do wonder, should the signature be a squiggle or a bunch of letters from our name?

       One of the first detected signatures was placed on the room’s back wall of Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait. It said “Jan van Eyck was here. 1434.” (Source: Secret Lives of Great Artists, Elizabeth Lunday )

       As we stroll passed the paintings on the walls of our favorite art gallery or museum take time to look at the artist’s name, is it big and bold or small and hard to find. There is a purpose for the personal ID. The artist is saying to the world “my work is finished and ready for its own life.”  Sometimes it is on the bottom right or in the painting texture of the images. The date completed can be near the inscription as well. Some artists like to put this information on the back of the support or on the stretcher bars for stretched canvas. 

When one of my favorite paintings, Cooling of the Dunes, was awarded Best in Show the judge discussed light and shadows, complementary  colors, then added that he liked the signature within the paint of the dune's edge.

Morning Fog 18x24 Signature in the painted right corner. Original sold, giclee available
Giclee uses exact matching pigments in a digital capture to reproduce from the original work.  

     Collectors of art do want to have that signature as well as the art itself. We all know the famous names and their personal note to us. Don’t we all hope to find that famous signature waiting for us in grandma’s attic?  So as an artist I pledge to sign all my work and hope my creative attempts may get into that attic of dreams just waiting to be researched in the online indexes of artists’ signatures.

       PS   Let’s not forget all the artists facing that cave wall thousands of years ago hoping to be remembered for their artistic expression and wisdom. They too left their name or even better their hand print on their communication to the futures viewers. Thanks to the cave painters and petroglyph artists in our past for showing us the way. 

Enjoy the views of original art,

Joel

www.Joelellisart.com  

Lellow 24x24 acrylic on canvas, signature left corner up the side

       

Joel preparing signature on Lellow

Let There Be Light!

We are having a gentle slide into summer, with dry days and cool nights, not like a month ago when we thought summer would never come.  Recently, we visited a patron who has collected a few of my paintings. He wanted to show us how one of the pieces responded to light conditions throughout the day in his home. His excitement about having the natural light create its own effect on the colors and texture of the painting is a good selling point for this very “living” art.

Milky Way 16x20 acrylic on linen

When we visit art shown in those well lighted galleries, we miss the chance to let the painting put on its own show for us in natural daylight.  To test a painting in progress I often change the studio lighting to see what is happening on the reflective surface of the painted canvas. Over time, artists learn the tricks light can play in reflecting that image to us. Notice how I avoided talking about the cones and receptors of the eye. That’s the science of what is happening. The bottom line is how the image affects you, the viewer, and do you want this experience displayed in your environment to stimulate your life day after day. To me this is what makes living with original art so invigorating, the actual living with the art. 

I have been reading, yes I vowed not read too much this summer, but this really sounded too good to miss, so… I got involved in the upper level of the art collecting business again. This time the book is The Supermodel and the Brillo Box by Don Thompson . The book is a good peek into the world of many very rich art

Light Flashes 24x30 acrylic on canvas

collectors and the art houses that support their craving. It appears that some collectors have a genuine love for the art and the artists. They are happy to share their art pieces in galleries around the world. Then there are others who use the world’s art expressions as an investment, storing their art treasures in vaults never to be seen and experienced, locked away in temperature controlled darkness waiting for the right time to be released for profit.     

I feel that for visual arts to exist the treasures must be experienced to make an impact on our lives as the creative artist had intended. The art has to see the light so we too can see the light.   

Light is the most important thing. It animates a picture: it can change everything. 

Paul Collins, portrait artist

I have to get out into the sunshine right now, and you should too. I hope you are reading this where you can enjoy this glorious Spring Day.

By the way, I have the three paintings shown here at the Technology Innovation Center, downtown East Lansing, second floor of the old Barnes and Nobel Building. You can reach it from the skywalk connected to the Parking Ramp off Charles Street. The show with other fine art artists exhibits June 8 – September 28. 

Splash  20x24 acrylic on linen

I hope you are reading this in a place where you can enjoy such a glorious day.

Joel  www.joelellisart.com

Taking A Local Art Trip: Saper Gallery, Technology Businesses, Favorite Artists

Friday May 16, 2014 - A beautiful day and most of the university students have turned the town over to the locals. That means less student traffic and more art festivals and music events in the streets.  We went to the big art museum but it was closed until noon so we went to other art venues in town, what a great treat.  

Fortitude, 18x24 oil on canvas, currently at MMAG show

       In previous blogs we have noted visits to interesting venues to display our art. The last few weeks we have placed paintings in a variety of businesses supporting the local art scene. The first was the newly renovated Okemos Library, Mid Michigan Art Guild (MMAG) member show. The show highlighted the talents of members in the local art guild. The second is a start-up incubator office space for a very creative business community, the Technology Innovations Center (T.I.C.). The show was launched by live music and libations and a bonus, Maureen Ryan, one of the visual artists is also a fine vocalist. The third is a similar venue, a service center for several businesses relying on the new technologies for expansion, Force by Design. It too has wall space just waiting for the creative touch by artists. A big thank to you all for letting for us brighten your days.  

Autumn Dune Grasses, 16x20 acrylic on linen currently at Force By Design

       Our local art adventure on this brilliant day was moving along just fine, the kind of adventure that nourishes the soul, and we were not done, the morning was still young. On to our top notch and highly acclaimed art resource, Saper Gallery of East Lansing, Michigan.  We were greeted by a charming assistant who was willing to discuss the local art and how it is shaped by the bigger art world. We started discussing the works of Tunis Ponsen, a Michigan native originally from Muskegon. Tunis Ponsen is a fine mid-century oil and water colorist. Roy Saper of Saper Gallery holds a number of Ponsen beautiful works for sale. There were several fine works by other Michigan artists in the gallery. The work of an artist friend, Barbara McCleary, was its usual top form and a real treat so see in such a

Cooling of the Dunes, 20x24 oil on canvas, currently at T.I.C.

magnificent gallery setting.

       While we were having our local art adventure in East Lansing, the activity pace in town was picking up as 180 artists were moving in for the 51st East Lansing Art Festival. This should be a fun weekend. We hope some university students come back to see their city in its best artsy party mode.

Look about you for some fine art,

Joel

www.joelellisart.com  

Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Peggy Guggenheim Winter Companions

Winter is almost over, spring will be short and summer will be here soon. As I was looking back over my winter reading, (yes, I should have been painting, but it was a long cold winter), I found that the reading list was quite interesting and gave me a better background to this fun and crazy world of art. The main standouts were Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, LeeKrasner and Peggy Guggenheim. The biographies all had a same theme and general geography, New York. We artists, not in N. Y., often think what would our chances be of making it big in The Big Apple. Austin Kleon’s latest book ShowYour Work points out that the new technologies such as what you are reading right now put us all in touch, artists and patrons, all over the world…. So hello world!!!

June Morning  16x20  acrylic on linen

Cosmic Spin  20x24   acrylic on linen

There were some new paintings completed this winter; one can be seen on the latest website (www.joelellisart.com), We Are Stardust. The other paintings on the website are on display around the capital city area, Michigan.

Tech advisors also say to blog and blog often and show your works in progress. Maybe I’ll try to show work in progress but, but, but that sounds like a big studio clean up session.

Enjoy the Spring flowers.

Joel 

Iris Window  16x20   acrylic on linen

Peace   20x24   acrylic on canvas