Disparate Works From My Dim, Dark Past

Some Very Early Work

Apparition, oil on canvas, 47 x 33 inches, copyright ©1977 Apparition was one of my first large figurative works. Painted in 1977, when I was in my mid 20s, it was influenced by an interest in the Symbolist painters of the late 19th century, and the writings of Robert Graves, especially The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth. The model was my next-door neighbor, (and her cat.) The painting was done before I moved to New York and Boston. I've recently learned that Apparition may be coming on the secondary market. The private seller can be reached through me. Please use my website's contact form if interested: https://www.williamelston.com/bio/gal_contact/ .

Three Sirens, oil on linen, 30 x 34 inches, copyright ©1977 Three Sirens was painted around the same time, using one model in three separate poses. My black cat was the four-legged model in the foreground. His name was Geek, and he lived to the ripe age of 22. The stiff and awkward red-winged blackbirds were painted from an old stuffed specimen that I'd found in an antique shop, hence their lifeless appearance. The façade was the entrance to the building that I was living in at the time, on the corner of 5th and Adams in Spokane. The spider web leaded glass window was made up, as was the pattern on the wall behind the columns.

Lamia, lithograph, 30 x 18 inches, copyright ©1976 (Please excuse my reflection in the background. The litho was framed under glass when the photo was taken.) Lamia predates the above two paintings by a year. It was done at The Evergreen State College, while I was teaching painting workshops there. The model was my girlfriend at the time, a woman named Laura. It was drawn on the largest litho stone available at TESC, and printed in a very small edition with the assistance of Young Harvill, a student that later made his fortune developing 3D graphics programs for the Macintosh computer. These paintings and lithographs were youthful works, produced while in the thrall of studies in Medieval and 19th century painting and extensive reading in a variety of esoteric subjects. They seem awkward and derivative to me now. My work of a few years previous, while I was still in college, was primarily influenced by Surrealism and the heady drug experimentation of the era. I saw Symbolism as a way to transition from Surrealist themes to a more conventional figurative approach. When these were done not very many people were working figuratively. If you were, then it was assumed that you were ignorant of the prevailing styles of contemporary art, a clueless throwback to a bygone era. For me and many other painters of my generation, this shift to figuration was fueled in part by the revisionism and reassessment of the Academic period of the 19th century, by such writers as Albert Boime, Jeremy Maas, Gerald Ackerman and others. Without prior exposure, we were left vulnerable to being infected by that period's excesses.

Secret Body, oil on linen, 15 x 5.5 inches, copyright ©1973 Secret Body Is the earliest of all these very early paintings. It was done after returning from study at California College of Arts and Crafts, before finishing my BFA requirements at Fort Wright College. As mentioned, I was transitioning from working in a Surrealist mode, introducing ideas from the Symbolists, Pre-Raphaelites and others. At the time I was also working on a paper, an exploration of the Grail legend and its permutations. Some of that imagery found its way into this painting. Secret Body was a study for a much larger painting that was never finished. Only a small portion of the larger painting still survives. I was rapidly growing out of my youthful interest in these ideas and artists. What took their place was the philosophy of Realism, the 19th century counter to Neoclassicism and Romanticism. I was interested in Realism's utility to undermine hierarchies of social value. That interest has sustained me up to the present, and still seems like a uniquely modern idea.

Some Less Early Work

Christel I, oil on canvas, 23 x 22 inches, copyright ©1991 Christel I was done almost 15 years later, and demonstrates these more Realist concerns that I developed while studying in New York and Boston. I was interested in Realism's ability to represent the cultural aspirations of advanced democracies. An exhibition titled "The American Renaissance" at the Brooklyn Museum was a big influence. The portrait was done at Sunny Arms Studios, in Georgetown, Seattle. Christel was an impatient model, and the painting was more abandoned than finished.

The Blue Van, oil on canvas, 44 x 60 inches, copyright ©1985 The Blue Van was one of a series of early urban subjects, primarily scenes of Seattle. Some of these were studio paintings, done in the cramped quarters of the Vinegar Flats house where I lived, in Spokane just prior to my move to Seattle. I was represented by Foster White Gallery at the time, and they were primarily interested in Seattle subjects.

Bread Of Life Mission, oil on canvas, 45 x 69 inches, copyright ©1988 Bread Of Life Mission was my first ambitious urban subject. It presented a technical challenge in its perspective, that of compressing an almost panoramic street scene into a single, street corner viewpoint. I was still showing at Foster White Gallery, but soon moved to Davidson Galleries. This painting was, If memory serves, the last of my paintings that was sold at Foster White. Pioneer Square is Seattle's 'Old Town,' a repository of collective memory, and a significant destination for tourists. It houses Seattle's cabaret district, as well as many of its art galleries. This is all changing now, as the price of real estate soars and rapacious developers set their sights on the area. The humane scale, the brick and stone of an older era is being rapidly encroached upon by the slick authoritarianism of high-rise glass and steel.

Read All About It II, oil on canvas, 33 x 36 inches, copyright ©1990 Read All About It II is a departure from what was then my usual practice. I began experimenting with painting from video sources. I would use a handheld camcorder to collect reference material, then loop through it on a CRT television, using a video editing deck and a remote, while painting. The technology was not quite there at the time; the tape heads kept wearing out from constant starting, stopping and rewinding. It was clumsy and frustrating trying to paint while operating the remote, clutching a handful of brushes, mixing paint on the palette, etc. Still, I did a few paintings using this method, the idea being that one could retain a sense of life and still use photographic sources as work product. I wished that I had such a technology when I painted those red-winged blackbirds in Three Sirens. I've always had an interest in exploring how newer technologies can augment old practices. With the advent of personal computers it soon became possible to mix video, digitally manipulated photography and life study into one seamless workflow. The painters that I most admire, from Dürer to Delacroix, have been interested in technology and innovation. I humbly follow their example. The painting depicts the "Read All About It" newstand at the entrance of Pike Street Market, another historic legacy under threat of siege by developers.

Plein Air and the Rural Landscape

Hangman Creek, Spring, oil on canvas, oil on canvas, 22 x 32 inches, copyright ©1988 All the while that I was working on cityscapes, with their frenetic and fugitive effects, I was also continuing to pursue plein air work. I've never seen the two subjects as antithetical. My work in the field is primarily about the way humans shape (and perceive) the rural landscape. Not wanting to challenge the legacy of the great 19th century Wilderness painters like Church or Moran, I've shied away from the pure landscape of Nature's enduring spectacle. I prefer more contemporary pastorals, such as one might find just off the roadside, in a grazing field or in one's backyard. Hangman Creek, Spring represents such a subject. It was done just south of Spokane, on one of many visits to my hometown. Trying to coax the color out of those dry fields tends to open one's eyes to Nature's subtleties.

Upcoming Exhibition At Dodson’s in Spokane The Thing In The Yard oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches, copyright ©2015 I will have new works at Dodson’s Jewelers, in Spokane, November 2017. Opening reception is November 3, 5 to 8 pm. The show will continue through December 2. The image above is from my previous show at Dodson's.

Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge - Maryhill Museum Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2017 digital postcard I'll be participating in the annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge event this year. This will take place from July 31 through August 5, and culminates in a month long exhibition at Maryhill Museum, from August 4 through 27. Opening reception is August 4, 5 to 8 pm. The above two images are the postcard for the event. The postcard in pdf format is also included as an attachment to this email.

Ongoing Plein Air Classes and Upcoming Sale Bend Of The River II, oil on canvas, 34 x 36 inches, copyright ©1997 From July 15 through July 20 I will be having a sale on Plein Air Class session credits. Usually the price is $380 for 8 sessions or $680 for 16 sessions. During the sale period the price will be $275 and $550, respectively. Watch my classes website, at https://classes.williamelston.com/ between those dates for details. Classes are held in the greater Seattle area, including the Eastside, Snohomish Valley, and other locations. Easel and painting materials are not included. I'm also available for private plein air workshops for up to 15 people. A one day workshop (4.5 hours) is $1,400. A two day workshop (9 hours) is $2,500. If outside the Seattle area, then travel expenses and accommodations may be added.

Please visit my painting or classes website for more information regarding upcoming exhibitions, events, classes or workshops.