Artcetera: Relationship with famous dad inspires new Bluffton exhibit by artist Peggy Ellis

"Art enables is to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -- Thomas Merton

Artist Peggy Ellis and gallery owner/director Charlene Gardner had a conspicuously good idea when the two decided to present a sparkling series of Ellis' most brilliant paintings at Four Corners Gallery in Bluffton. 



The exhibit, "Peggy Ellis: One-Woman Show, Spectacular Skies and More," fills the gallery walls to the brim with the most inspired, outright magical work, and happily, the collection will hang through Dec. 31.



"Charlene and I met at an art event at JBanks in 2012," said Ellis, daughter of legendary artist, Ray Ellis. 



"My work was being exhibited ... and I did a demonstration. Later, as we talked, we realized we certainly, for a long list of reasons, had a future we wanted to share." 



Out of that early meeting came a father-daughter exhibit in 2013 at Palmetto Bluff. And, according to Gardner, from that came the collaborative concept for the new exhibit.



Many artists and art appreciators think of painting as either-or -- that is, either oil or watercolor. But the award-winning Ellis, along with her famous dad, is equally devoted to the richness of oil painting and to the spontaneity of watercolor, all to tell a story. The exhibit at Four Corners will delight and thrill you with satisfying portions of both!



On your trip through the gallery, you take in her extraordinary work and observe her compositional successes -- the shapes, the range of color and unanticipated patterns that seem to develop, the textures she creates in her oil work, often applied with a palette knife. Pay close attention to the final design in her remarkable outcomes, and most important, the unmistakably, very Ellis balance she achieves. 



As I left the gallery, taking one last glorious look at Ellis' jaw-dropping, phenomenal body of work, I sensed the quiet but unmistakable influence of her iconic dad.







EARLY ELLIS



"My brother and I in our earliest days knew our dad was a businessman -- an ad man, really -- but we also knew him as an artist," said Ellis. "The two of us would get up very early in the morning and still in our pajamas would quietly but excitedly 'install' on the walls of our home our recent artistic efforts. ... We created our version of an art show just for him."



Art has always been a kind of leit motif, a back story, throughout Ellis' life, no matter her immediate focus. But later as she took on her adult years and gazed clear-eyed at her reality, my observations is, she's been fully dedicated to growing and redefining her artistic talents and skills for more than 20 years. 



She built upon her earliest artistic experiences when she attended the Decordova Museum School in Lincoln, Mass., and later, still concerned with art and her artistic achievements, she grew through her association with other artists around Boston. She said those years contributed to another important part of building her artistic foundation.



In 2004, when she moved to our Lowcountry, painting became her greater life focus. What good news for all of us!



"Can I just say -- and I've said it before -- the Lowcountry was 'painting heaven,'" said Ellis.



Growing up on Martha's Vineyard, her childhood memories and the influence of the arts community in Boston had created a new momentum, an immediacy toward her greater participation in furthering her creative experience, generally, and her artistic experiences, specifically. 



But her move to Charleston and her immense pleasure in experiencing the drama of the creeks, waterways, grasses at water's edge, the skies, the clouds -- all in constant flux -- contributed to a critically important page in the pursuit of her expanding career.



"I realized that I had a story to tell, all to be seen in the outcomes of my paintings," said Ellis. "I would absolutely, passionately set about to record the moments, for myself first." 



When her dad took on mentor status, she called on his advice, her favorite being: "Stare at the blank canvas for a while and using your memory envision the painting." 



"The impact of my dad on my life, my values, my focus is a forever circumstance," said Ellis. "I loved his enthusiasm, his discipline and particularly the encouragement he offered. He reminded me always to pursue my art and to participate fully and completely in my career and my life as an artist."



After a moment, as we began to pack up our materials and move on to our next appointments, Ellis paused and added a truly stunning comment.



"I mentioned the father-daughter exhibit we prepared at Palmetto Bluff in the fall of 2013," said Ellis. "We could not have known then that I would be burying my dad the day before the show. 



"Surprisingly, it was cathartic and comforting to 'go on with the show.' I knew my dad would have done the same."



Artist, musician, teacher and writer Nancy K. Wellard focuses on portraying and promoting the cultural arts, first in Los Angeles and, for close to 30 years, in the Lowcountry. Email her at nancykwellard@gmail.com.

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Artcetera: Relationship with famous dad inspires new Bluffton exhibit by artist Peggy Ellis."