![]() ![]() In this exhibition, she referenced Celtic folklore and scientific fractal imagery. In her previous exhibition at Christopher Grimes Gallery in 2014, Ellis was investigating patterns of time perceived in the recurrent symmetries of nature and the fractal universe of self-similar patterns that repeat themselves at microcosmic and macrocosmic scales - from ground flora to outer space galaxies. ![]() Sharon Ellis, Into Darkness, 2018, alkyd on paper, 23 3/4 x 27 1/4 inches. Her hot and cool super-colors also electrify nature - creating an almost supernatural vibe. She works incrementally, using multiple transparent layers of thinned alkyd, to build up a film that makes her hyper-saturated colors more vibrant - creating the glowing quality of old master paintings. Ellis is often working on as many as four paintings simultaneously, because she uses so many layers of alkyd to create her signature glazes of deep blue and purple colors electrified by bright pinks, magentas, violets and yellows.Įllis’ jewel-like, imaginary desertscapes take from two months to a year to complete. In the current art economy, where successful artists are pressured to turn into CEOs of factory studios filled with assistants who churn out brand artwork, Ellis’ meticulously hand-crafted oil paintings are a reminder that the physical intensity of a painting that emotionally moves us cannot be accomplished with anyone else’s sweat - only the artist’s. Although nights in the high desert are much warmer and drier, they are gusty like the windswept moors of England. She told me, “the source of everything I do comes from a vision I see in my head,” and that “the most important part is the story.” Indeed, her paintings have a narrative quality that recalls Emily Brontё’s Wuthering Heights. I was reminded of the power small Johannes Vermeer paintings have, because they are as alive as a beating heart.Įllis enjoys living in her imagination, and she paints imaginary landscapes inspired by photographs she has taken on her nature-walks. New Works on Paper is Ellis’ first exhibition at Kohn Gallery, and it is installed to show the power small easel-size paintings can have when they are hung alone or in a small pairing on a large wall in a monumental gallery space. Sharon Ellis, Morning Sun, 2018, alkyd on paper, 23 3/4 x 27 1/4 inches. This exhibtion coincides with her participation in the 2022 Calfornia Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art. Her small gem-like works are so labor intensive, they take months to complete, and this makes an Ellis exhibition an infrequent event that other artists look forward to. She uses multiple glazes of alkyd (a modern oil paint) to build up hyper-saturated colors and create a luscious translucent effect that recalls Renaissance paintings. art scene.Įllis is an “artists’ artist” who has always been admired for her love of paint. From the great English landscape painters William Turner and John Constable to Pre-Raphaelite painters (especially Edward Burne-Jones) and German artist Casper David Friedrich, to the English romantic poets William Wordsworth, John Keats and Samuel Taylor Coleridge - all drew inspiration from nature-walks.Įllis moved from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree because she “loves the romantic aspect of the desert.” Today, Joshua Tree has become an artists’ colony that attracts more artists from Los Angeles because it is affordable and close enough for artists to continue their careers in the L.A. Sharon Ellis has always been drawn to romantic art and poetry of the mid-1800s. All images courtesy of the artist & Kohn Gsllery. Sharon Ellis, Mojave Night, 2022, alkyd on paper, 16 1/4 x 20 1/2 inches. ![]()
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