We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ellen King a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ellen, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
This is a great question and has certainly caused me to reflect on this most essential piece of my life. “How” and “if” I have found my purpose is in part due to courage and optimism. I was a shy little girl. Not very brave or outgoing. I saw very quickly that in order to make friends I’d need to offer something of myself by taking a chance to ask and try and not give up. Scary stuff. Luckily and often, the results were positive. And lots of times not so much. My elementary school had an art room. It was where I felt 100% safe and real and not afraid. Painting cornstalks like the Hopi Indians grew, I noticed that mine were pretty darn good. I got positive feedback from the teacher and classmates asked me to show them how I did it. I loved showing/teaching them. My 4th grade realization of purpose was to make and inspire and teach and love it. Art was a way into and out of myself. A gift I could give to others that filled me up. Since then I have always made art. My 30 year career teaching students both children and primarily adults, training other teachers, developing programs for the art school felt like one of my purposes. Years later I got to teach art in my grandkids classes. What a joy!
I am lucky enough to have discovered so much more along the way…
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
One of the very most exciting things I’ve discovered about making art is how inspiration happens with a complete lack of my control. If only I could give up control in all the other areas…haha. Ideas just come or are coming or maybe just right not now, I used to beat myself up for not feeling inspired or creative. I thought I must not be a real artist. Once a dear artist friend of mine asked me, if when I went to a party didn’t I always have the urge to draw everyone I saw? No I didn’t, it didn’t even occur to me so I concluded therefore, I must not be a real artist. I was so discouraged and almost stopped working. Why wasn’t I constantly inspired? When I read a quote by a well known artist, Chuck Close, he said and I’m paraphrasing, “if you wait for inspiration or lightening to strike, you will be waiting a long long time. Just get to work because true inspiration comes from the process.” I LOVED that because when I’m in it, mixing colors, playing, trying, gluing, tearing that’s when time stops and the process becomes the inspiration. This is the advice I would offer anyone dabbling in any form of the arts, certainly writing, music and much more.
After I retired from “officially” teaching, I had more time to experiment with my painting. I always loved layers, recycling my old art, building texture giving the canvas’ a soul, a life that may not be seen in the end result but is subconsciously there.
In my last show, I used handmade papers from around the world that a friend told me about. So gorgeous I had to use them. I love the jewel like quality of oil paint so I combined the two together. Textures from the papers, the glow of color from the oil paint.
Now, expanding on the success of those pieces, I am working on several large canvas’ at the same time with both newly discovered papers and am including the figure, our humanity, in all shapes and sizes. Hope to have several finished in the next weeks and months. Of course I will put them on my website and IG.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I know that listening has been a like a super power for me and I have gleaned much knowledge from what should be a simple trait but is sometimes so difficult. I grew up in a “very proper” family. Lots of rules. Lots of subjects were not appropriate for the children’s ears. Never ask about money or profession. Basically we, my brother and I were better off being seen but not heard. As a kid I was never sure what was really being said when we were around. So I learned to distinguish between the words and the meaning behind them. This has served me well in my journey because knowledge is everywhere if you’re listening for it. Most of us just want to be heard myself included. We want to have someone bear witness to how we feel. To look and listen more closely, whether teaching a student or interpreting the heart of my model for a painting, I sometimes get lucky and see what’s just under the surface.
Friendliness is another trait I am proud of because it makes people feel good and cared for and of course opens the door for them to impart their knowledge to me. And sometimes people can’t be bothered! That little girl in elementary school who always felt lonely learned the benefits of saying hello, starting a conversation, showing interest. This trait has so often impacted and enriched my life.
Resilience has been my life line because every time I get knocked down or a painting just isn’t working and I want to throw it out the window or drive my car over it residence wins out. Though often enough it’s a struggle.
Whatever life throws my way and there has been much along this journey, I have depended upon my resilience to see me through. All three of these traits are certainly intertwined with each other. And I suspect that we all share them in common.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I do have challenges of course but one that I could use help with is marketing myself. I would prefer to be in my studio rather than pressing flesh at various art gallery openings, postings on instagram, facebook and the like are slightly torturous for me. I do them of course, but would love to hire someone to come over, take pictures, write posts and handle this area of my career. I’d love to hear from you if this sounds like something anyone would like to do…
Thanks so much,
Ellen
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellenkingart.com
- Instagram: @ellenkingart
Image Credits
Jim Stevens
