Mark Ellison- ” Portraits from Nature ” Please ring to view T.0208 464 5816
29th August to 21st September 2012
” My inspiration to draw and paint comes from my lifelong interest in the world of Wildlife and Natural History. I work in watercolour , gouache and pencil creating detailed illustrations from a wide range of subjects from the world of nature. My choice of subject is quite diverse covering mammals, birds, insects, plants and flowers.” Mark Ellison
” My interest in painting and drawing goes back to my early teens when I first began to paint and study birds.
I was influenced by Bird Artists such as Basil Ede and Raymond Harris Ching from New Zealand.The detail and accuracy they were able to render in their work fascinated me and over the years the techniques of many other Wildlife Artists have left me in awe.The African art of David Shepherd and Simon Combes , the Canadian Artist , Robert Bateman and Carl Brenders from Belgium , to name a few.
Consequently my own style has been shaped by these Artists and my focus has always lent towards an attention to detail , a process that can be both very time consuming and frustrating in equal measure .
I am self taught , having bypassed the opportunity to go to Art college , trying to develop something that works by trial and a lot of error ! My favoured media are coloured and graphite pencils , watercolour and gouache . The paint has to be applied almost dry to the chosen surface , usually board , to try and maintain contol of the paint.
My inspiration to paint and draw has always come from the Natural world and my chosen subjects are varied and diverse that include Birds , mammals , insects and plantlife .
Many subjects are simply those that I have a particular affection for such as Tigers and Otters , but many inspire me simply by their colour, shape and form.
My drawing of a Wasp on Apples (coloured & graphite pencils) is a case in point . Not a typical subject to portray in a piece of artwork but when you really study them they are almost mechanical in their construction , like most insects and beetles. “