Ellen Marcus

Category: Acrylic

  • GMO’s

    Sold: “GMO’s” – Acrylic – 16×20″

    Since I had a complete running-fail last week, I’m hoping to have just a little more motivation for tomorrows run.

     

  • A Long Walk

    Cowboy And Ostrich
    Cowboy And Ostrich

    Right now, at this very moment, I’m supposed to be back-seat gaming as my better-at-video-games-half plays Borderlands II. Instead, I failed to create a new post featuring my latest work, so, here I sit in my studio blogging about the image to your left.  Admittedly, there were a few technical issues while photographing this piece.  Perhaps the sun wasn’t in the right place, or my hippy-neighbor placed a hex on my camera – whatever the reason, it proved to be nearly impossible to take a good pic of the latest paintings since I trashed my brush and started using a pallet knife (an actual pallet knife – not the virtual kind you find in photoshop).  The strokes don’t photograph as I wished for them to be seen.  Oh well, hope you like it anyway.  Now, I’m going to join my game-addicted pal before bed (but, really I’m just projecting my own addiction to video games here).  Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!

  • Fish With Watering Can

    Acrylic on Canvas –  11″x14″

    This painting sold within two days of putting her on display.  I’ve been considering jacking up my prices, so you might want to hurry and grab one soon.

    This particular painting is a pastiche of Renoir’s “Girl With Watering Can”.  I think the inspiration to do a Renoir came from my visit to the Barnes museum, where there are tons of blurry Renoirs all over the walls.

    I don’t truly have a firm opinion on the guy except to say that he painted a huge number of pictures.  I admire the work ethic, at the very least.

    Prints of my pastiche can be found if you click on the picture.  Enjoy!

  • Fish on a Bicycle in a Tree

     

    Acrylic on Canvas – 16″ x 20″

    My most recent painting now complete and almost ready to replace the ones I sold.  If this sounds like bragging, well, it might be (just a little bit), and after having a nice brag-fest, I’m always struck with the feeling that my next painting or work will turn out looking like garbage.  To counter this feeling, I’d also like to mention that the sales from those paintings might pay a fraction of my bills if I’m lucky (and refrain from using too much water).

    I have just reminded myself to send the water bill, and, now that I think about it, I already sent it out yesterday.

    If you’re still here and reading this, I’ll bet you might be wondering about the animation I promised…it will eventually make it to this site.  I am still working on other projects and commissions (such as paintings like this).  I am also in the process of transforming the back yard into the Garden of Eden (and I’m guessing I’ll need to begin that project with a couple of fig-leaves).

  • The RSS Fish

    RSS Fish
    Acrylic on Canvas – 8″ x 6″

    I recently fixed an old Gilbert clock from the 1920’s.  It’s one the most fascinating toys I’ve ever had because you can see all the levers and cogs moving as it keeps your time.  Of course, that will be hidden again once I’m finished re-furbishing its bell-shaped case.

    The picture to your left indicates that I’m finally done with the Ten Painting Challenge by Friday (and it’s Friday).  I finished up late last night and was feeling paranoid.  So, like any person who’s been up way too late digitizing their artwork and reading about the Pinterest member content policies via LockerGnome: http://www.lockergnome.com/social/2012/02/23/how-to-use-pinterest-without-breaking-the-law/trackback/ (not to mention heeding the warnings of my fellow peer, Cindy Schnackel via her Copyright Journal) I put my info all over this downloadable picture.  It’s hard enough to make a living as an artist in such a competitive field, but, to read what Pinterest really thinks of your rights as an intellectual property owner is just sad.  Because of this, I ask that you please don’t “pin” my work on Pinterest.

    Again, a very special ‘thank you’ to KD Mernin for getting the ball rolling on my 10 painting challenge.  Check out her work here: www.kdmernin.com and see both our works this weekend at the Funky February Weekend with the Mt. Airy Art Garage (11 West Mt. Airy Avenue, Philadelphia, PA – 12-6pm Saturday & 12-5pm Sunday).

  • Waste Not

    “Pork Chops”
    Acrylic on Canvas – 8″ x 6″

    Be sure the animals you eat have lived a happy life.  Please don’t support corporate farms that abuse their animals.  This painting was inspired by Breakaway Farms (our local farmers).

    If you decide to eat meat, please have respect for the creature and leave as little waste as possible.

    As usual, I’ve been very busy, but, this blog will roll on whether or not I have time to update it.

    I have also updated the NAC blog.  Please visit the works and delights of my fellow Philadelphia peers here: http://nacollective.blogspot.com/

    Thanks for visiting!

  • When Pigs Dance

    Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 6″

    Another day, another table, and here are two pigs.  Pigs are interesting.  Most anyone who visits a farm can hear its bellowing snort that might be cute if it didn’t rattle bones and echo up the valley.

    They kinda remind me of the American Pit Bull in form.  This may be the beginning of a new series…

    Acrylic on Canvas 8″ x 6″

     

  • Those Funny-Bunny Comments

    Acrylic on Canvas – 8″ x 6″

    I finally figured out how to incorporate a 3rd party comment section within my blog, and it only took me about 4 hours.  I calculate around 5 minutes to install a comment enabler called “Disqus”, however, it didn’t work quite right.  It took me the other 3 hours and 55 minutes to figure out that deleting and re-applying it to my blog would fix the problem.  *Sheesh!*

    Everything within Disqus worked exactly as I wished.  The only problem being that I had two comment boxes (one from Blogger and one from Disqus) displayed below every post.  One would think that a person in this situation could simply Google things like “two comment boxes” or “double comments” and come up with some fast help to a solution.  This turned out to be something of a false hope.  I reason that I may have made a wrong turn and overlooked the “add this site to Blogger” button, then cut and pasted some Disqus code into a widget I made directly in Blogger.  It is also possible that Blogger’s new interface template messes with the loading of Disqus.  I discovered that when I deleted Disqus and re-loaded it onto Blogger (being sure to use the “add this site to Blogger” button), it reverted my Blogger interface to the older one momentarily.  After all that noise, it worked like a charm (assuming charms really work as magically as they did in the past).  You can now reply to people’s comments on this blog…yay!

    Not that anyone comments on this blog much anyway, but, it’s nice to have a reply button.  Thanks for reading and I hope this bit of info helps some poor soul who continues to see double in the comment section.

    *update* PS: I had a very pleasurable and time-saving experience with the Disqus support team.  Save yourself a headache and don’t hesitate to ask them for help.

  • Fish With Apple

    SOLD: Acrylic on Canvas – 8″x 6″

    This represents how I felt yesterday after installing my Art in a New Jersey restaurant.  However, after having spent most of my life in Chicago, I expect everything to be like one big grid, so, naturally, I got lost while getting there.  Thanks to that special someone and his magical mapping device, I was able to avoid driving into the river.

    I had some fantastic help hanging my work in Jersey from Jeanne Bustard and George.

    You can see both Jeanne’s and my own work now displayed at Tortilla Press Cantina at 7716 Maple Ave in Merchantville, NJ.  (A special thanks to Kathy at Tortilla Press Cantina for making my Jersey show possible).

    This little guy will soon join ranks with some of my paintings still on display for the “Art Feeds” holiday show (along with the works of other great Northwest Artist Collective members) at Earth Bread & Brewery right here in chilly Philly.  (A special thanks to Peggy for making the Art Feeds show possible).  10% of proceeds from artwork sold at “Art Feeds” will go to Philabundance.

  • Fall Hands

    Mostly Acrylic On Canvas – 24″ x 36″

    I ran out of black paint, and to get to the nearest overpriced art-store, I must buy an overpriced train ticket to travel downtown.  So, I used some left-over latex house paint.  It seemed to work…