J S Ellington

I am a Texas artist and have painted for most of my 71 years, being from a family of artists. My mother's youngest sister, aunt Patsy, spent a lot of time with me, guiding and encouraging me, and I credit her for my passion for art. She painted under the name of "von." When she died in August of 2018, I began placing "von" somewhere on the face of each painting as an acknowledgment of her role in my artistic endeavors.

My inspirations come from my home environment in Texas. Things that I have taken for granted all my life are now frequent subjects for art. Mesquites, cactus, old barns and shacks, windmills, wooden fence posts, wildflowers and the like are favorite subjects. I am a colorist, and I enjoy using color to give new life to otherwise fading beauty. In addition to color, I strive for dimension, movement, depth and unusual perspective.

5-year B.S. degree in Pharmacy at University of Texas, Austin.

Though I have had no formal art education, I have had the benefit of learning from the owner of Studio 13, Mike Lanier, and from the other wonderful artists associated with the studio.

My favorite online teachers are Mark Carder in Austin and Daniel Edmondson from Colorado. However, I have not taken classes from either yet, just enjoyed their free instruction online.

My beginnings in art came from my mother and especially from my aunt Patsy.

On August 6, 2018, my precious Aunt Patsy Dolliver passed away. She worked with me from the time I was a child, instilling a desire to paint which turned into a full-fledged passion after I retired. She was an accomplished artist in so many mediums. She painted under the name of von. From this point forward, all of my paintings will have "von" placed somewhere in the face of the painting as a way of honoring her part in giving me this passion. I would never have known art without her.

Studio 13, Abilene, Texas
Center for Contemporary Arts, Abilene, Texas