I spent three hours yesterday talking and painting with abstract artist Ellen Rolli at her SoWa studio in Boston. It was a pretty transformative experience – Ellen has a fearless relationship with her work that is contagious (see her website). I am so grateful for a chance to work with her, and am still processing a lot of what I learned, but thought I’d share a few photos and a book recommendation from Ellen. Yesterday’s objective was not to produce a finished painting, but to work in a more intuitive and liberating process with the paint. It was cool.
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- My first wimpy palette of colors – little dabs of paint
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- More paint, better process
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- Ellen as coach – she has background and expertise, and the heart of a teacher
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- The painting process is progress – Ellen’s studio easel has good vibes 🙂
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- Detail of brushstrokes and color blending – no boundaries!
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- Some of Ellen’s most recent work – just black and white – amazing expression through limitation
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- One of my painting studies on the studio wall – it’s “resting” and will probably change again
I learned to trust the painting process a lot more. That is the title of a book that Ellen recommended for me which I’ve already ordered:
And I’ll leave ya with a quote from Hans Hoffman that I found on Ellen’s website –
“Every successful canvas has been painted from the point of view of a student, for a great painter is always a student.”
Thank you, Ellen! Hope to see you on my next visit.