Jerry Ellis

Marshall High School

Class of 1952

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Jerry Ellis - Class of 1952 - Marshall High School

First Name	Jerry
Last Name	Ellis
Graduation Year	Class of 1952
Gender	Male
Hometown	Marshall, Missouri
About Me	As a regionalist painter, the inspiration and imagery for my paintings come from the small town of Carthage, Mo., where my home and studio are located, and from the beautiful, rolling countryside of my native Missouri Ozarks. My streetscapes and landscapes are loose, realistic renderings of scenes that most people relate to and feel comfortable with. My fascination with steam locomotives allows me to work with more abstract shapes and interesting colors and textures while still keeping a realistic viewpoint. They challenge me to convey the immense power they represent. For over 20 years, I painted exclusively in transparent watercolor (probably the most difficult medium to master). In the last few years, I expanded into gouache, acrylics and oils as well - a very rewarding experience. Many works in this new medium tend toward impressionism which I love. I believe I always had an innate sense of art. In college, I doodled strange creatures instead of paying attention to my music courses. But music was my chosen field and I spent five years as a woodwind artist in a U.S. Navy Band. The first time I held a brush was at the age of 35. I had an audio business in a busy mall in Jacksonville, Fl., where a regional art show was on exhibition. I was drawn to a number of watercolor paintings by a local artist, and told my wife, Jo, that when I retired, I would love to learn to paint. She enrolled me in a six-week course with that same artist as a birthday gift. There was no looking back, and 10 years later, after moving back to Missouri, I became a full-time professional artist. Whenever I travel to art shows across the country, I always have my camera with me to capture that momentary gift of all the right elements coming together to make a wonderful image - light and shadow, texture, color and shape. And on the right kind of day, I like to drive around town or the countryside looking for images that speak to me. I have conducted many workshops, mostly in the central Midwest. I prefer small classes, minimum of 10 and maximum of 20, so I can devote time to each student. I have entered hundreds of competitions and won numerous awards, including two High Winds Medals in the American Watercolor Society annuals, and a Silver Medal of Honor for Watercolor from the Audubon Artists of America. The past two years I have had works accepted in Watercolor U.S.A., both of which won awards, and my work has been published in several art magazines and books. I was a charter member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (then Midwest Watercolor Society), served on its board and currently am a board member of Missouri Watercolor Society, a...(read more)