Steven Ellis – Artist Statement
My practice is centered around my daily routine of painting and the act of moving around and observing my environment. Most of my work is abstract but often based on my experiences of a particular place and time. As I paint, I develop a unique relationship between myself and each piece. I am very curious about these relationships. I work by building up layers on the surface with each layer being a part of the history of the piece which I then often expose by scratching, sanding and dissolving the paint. The paintings age and sometimes they are completed when they have reached adulthood, sometimes when they are still adolescents.
I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for my whole life and lived on Vashon Island since 2005. While I am fortunate to live in a place that feels healthy and green and provides daily inspiration, the degradation of our environment is increasingly shaping my experience of the places I walk through and the resulting work. I am curious how anxiety, fear and loss shape the way we see the world and what role art plays in the growing crisis.
Steven Ellis’s studio is stop #17 on the 2022 VIVA Holiday Art Studio Tour, Dec 3-4 & 10-11, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am – 4 pm. For more information on the free, self-guided tour and an interactive map, click here.
