Abstracts and Mixed Media
Elizabeth Ellison’s abstract paintings are open to interpretation. Explore the paintings and see where they take you. Her mixed media work can include handmade paper — torn, cut or collaged — as well as a natural elements such as sand. Click or tap any thumbnail to view an enlargement with title, description, size and pricing. Giclee prints are available for most paintings. Purchasing information
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Works on Paper
Works on Canvas
The Portal — 15" x 22" mixed media, $1,800
This is a collage of torn and pieced watercolor papers, painted with acrylic matte medium and transparent watercolor paints. It was inspired by old mine shafts in Western North Carolina. I chose this approach to better represent the solidity of the stone and cement work that framed the entrance to the mine.
We Remember — 22" x 30" mixed media / handmade paper collage, $2,500.
The Lagoon: East Ship Island — 30" x 22" mixed media, $2,800.
Off the coast of Mississippi, this lagoon is the first stop-over for many bird species on their journey North. I have tried to depict the varied vegetation, sand dunes and lovely colors using water media, as well as surface manipulation with handmade paper collage. The intense yellow in the sand is from sandstone on our property, which I ground into yellow sand-like particles.
Walking Ancient Paths — 32" x 40" acrylic on board with cut and torn paper including
man-made paper pieces, sand and found fibers, $5,500
When we walk trails in the Appalachians, often they follow the trail of animals and of ancient humans. I feel the spirit of the ancients when I travel, and if I listen carefully, wind moans softly speaking their perfect language.
The Edge Of The Woods — 30" x 22" mixed media on collaged handmade paper, $2,500
Goldfinches seem to be everywhere perched in the woods edging our front and back yards. They fit the landscape and add to the patterns of the forest. I collaged the torn pieces of my handmade paper onto the purchased paper to add to the illusion of pattern and movement – the energy we see every day in nature.
In Harmony with Wolves — 40" x 25" mixed media on handmade paper collage, $3,500
Several Native American tribes esteemed the courage and intelligence of the Gray Wolf and believed that living in harmony with this magnificent animal was to create a more courageous and honorable tribe of people. For some the wolf was good medicine and a personal totem. Collaged handmade paper suggests this harmony with nature.
Traveling Companions: Barn Swallows — 41" x 25" mixed media, $3,500
The Power of Water — 25" x 40" mixed media on collaged handmade paper, $3,500
Where The Light Gets In — 36" x 48" oil on canvas, $7,500
A play on the words of a Leonard Cohen song. I interpret this as meaning that a solid mass does not allow the light (lots of meanings here) to penetrate. Its much better to have a crack in the solidity (actuality, beliefs, etc.) so that illumination can occur.
Equilibrium — 36 " x 48" oil on canvas, $7,500
I need to paint abstracts at times to regain my equilibrium, especially when I have been painting detailed works and then I am focused and ready to revisit the canvas, or paper, with new energy. I also love losing myself in what is happening when I work abstractly — a quite different experience in my journey as a painter.
Redemption Song — 48" x 36" mixed media on canvas, $8,500
Abstract Expressionism is not my usual style but, in this case, my brush took me there. As I painted, I kept hearing a voice telling me that redemption is attained through reaching spiritual consciousness, and the road is never easy but the rewards are there for each of us. It is where we all need to travel to seek the rewards of having been granted this incredible thing we call life.
Dispossession — 36" x 48" oil on earth-textured canvas, $7,500
I think of this painting as a visual ode addressed to the Native Americans. I tried to give a lofty feeling to the elusive forms in the rich, warm colors which, while not elaborate, signify the dignity of an honorable people who were dispossessed of their ancestral lands. Their spirits dwell in the paint I used to sing their story.
Invasion — 30" x 48" oil on layered canvas (with shaped canvas strips) and textured with limestone and bits of lapis lazuli, $6,500.
The land in these mountains suffers much abuse at the hands of man and of nature, but if left undisturbed for a while it is slowly reclaimed by the natural procession of plants and trees that prepare it for the rich landscape it was once and was meant to be.
When The Sweet Music Plays, I Know He Dances — 36" x 48" Oil on canvas, $7,500
I painted this piece for personal reasons and do not want to explain as I hope it will speak to each viewer in a meaningful way. I will say that I was painting with contrasting colors and this is also part of my journey with this work. It is a spiritual painting however it speaks to you.
Juxtaposition — 48" x 36" acrylic on canvas, $7,500
Contrasting colors, shapes, sounds, styles all affect how we observe the world around us. For instance, it is fascinating how a 2-dimensional surface can appear 3-dimensional by juxtaposing these design elements. I have an ongoing love affair with the use of contrasting colors and the overlapping of similar shapes to achieve depth.
The Stranger Song — 30" x 24" acrylic on canvas with found objects adhered to surface, $3,500
I wanted to preserve the old hinge that some friends and I found at an abandoned cabin site, and the ring probably from a mule harness. The shard of pottery I found in the sand beside our creek. Amazing how the ring became a mirror of sorts on the door. Things happen when you are painting and you are open to see where it all goes. Maybe that is why this title of a Leonard Cohen song works for me.
In a world Turned Upside Down — 36" x 48" acrylic on manipulated canvas using cut and torn paper and sand, $7,500
Painted in late November, 2019... we missed the red flags and then the pandemic happened.
Seeking Solace / Places of Worship — 30" x 48" acrylic on textured canvas, $7,500
My place of worship is in the forest among the trees, but swamps are also spiritual places as are large bodies of water and of course churches for many. They are places to pause and offer thanks for the life we have been given and to hope for this world to continue as we know it. Any place can offer solace if you pause and let the spiritual world become as one with you.
A Horse With No Name — 24" x 36" acrylic on canvas, textured with handmade paper, $3,500
I love horses and this is a favorite painting of mine. It has everything in it I love doing – making paper, dripping and splashing paint, dribbling iridescence on the surface and then STILL there is the horse!
As Things Become Clear — 48" x 36" acrylic on layered canvas, $7,500
As things become clear? Or not, I guess. It is what I was feeling when I did the painting and somehow when I look at it, I feel just the same as that day - but it's hard to put some things into words.
Run With Horses — 40" x 25" mixed media with handmade paper (40" x 25");
and canvas (48" x 30"), $4,500
Where horses run free, our spirit runs with them.
The Third Horseman — 48" x 36" oil on textured canvas, $7,500
This painting is based on a double or triple exposed photograph George took a number of years ago in Poncho Springs, CO. where a magnificent sculpture of a horse, assembled from hubcaps, dwells close to the turn made to travel the San Juan Valley into New Mexico.
Contemplation On The Meaning Of Tao — 48" x 60"
acrylic on canvas with overlays of natural fiber handmade paper, $9,500
As soon as I glued my papers on the canvas and picked up paint-loaded brushes, my road totally changed and the result is what you see. I also incorporated quotes from The Way of Chinese Painting (excerpts from the Mustard Seed Manual of Chinese Painting) as this is the mantra in my paintings and in my life.
Elizabeth Ellison Gallery
155 Main Street
Bryson City, North Carolina 28713
Email: info@ElizabethEllisonGallery.com
828-788-1541
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Visit our studio/gallery on Main Street
in the Old Clampitt Hardware building.
Elizabeth is now representing Ann Smith and Quintin Ellison in her gallery.
Elizabeth offers private lessons in watercolor at the studio. Give her a call for more information.