My fascination with all forms of art started very early……..my mom says I created murals on the walls with my crayons when I was about 2 years old. I have always been blessed with amazing “artsy” teachers through-out my schooling and a family that felt art is an important part of life.
I am primarily self-taught. However, I did attend the Art Institute of Seattle. My talents cover many types of media: charcoal, watercolor, jewelry, hand-painted glass, fused glass, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Pretty much anything I can get my hands on. I enjoy creating beautiful things. My surroundings, a mood, colors, children, old people, dreams, nature, all are things that inspire and excite my flow of creativity.
“Artistic creativity is a whirlpool of imagination that swirls in the depths of the mind.” –Robert Toth
I attended the University of North Dakota where I completed a BA in Visual Arts in December 2000. During that time I explored a variety of disciplines including casting, jewelry fabrication, sculpture, and oil painting. I’ve worked as a commercial goldsmith, illustrated several books, and worked on commission as a free-lance jeweler and artist. My most recent paintings combine fantasy, surrealism, and expressionism with special emphasis on the human form. Blazing columns of light, bursting figures, and dark backdrops characterize this series, my attempt to represent the polar opposites that seem to prevail both internally and externally.
Artist’s Statement
This selection of works showcases the different artistic avenues I’ve explored since my college studies. Charcoal illustration, oil painting, and metalworking are the primary means of artistic expression that I still embrace today. A traditional artist for many years, it wasn’t until 2004, four years after graduating college, that I began exploring digital painting, photo-manipulation, and graphic design.
The genres I’ve experimented with have been just as varied as the mediums used. Realism has always defined my style, though content has changed over time. As for many young elementary school artists, fantasy appealed greatly to me: Unicorns, dragons, and various mythological beasts all found their way onto my sketchpad. Real life dragons – dinosaurs – were also very popular subjects. I quickly began inventing my own creatures, something I still have a passion for today. Werewolves are classic monsters that I continue to derive much enjoyment from drawing.
When I began oil painting at the age of 13, subject matter was quite different. Lonely seascapes and landscapes of mountains, forests, and plains dominated canvases and continued to do so through college. During that time my focus was achieving desired effects through use of light and dark as well as exploring blending techniques. In 2005 I began producing an ongoing series of oil paintings that combined elements of realism and fantasy, depicting recognizable human forms in surreal environments. Brilliant light against dark backdrops is the prevalent element in these paintings, one that has also been finding its way into my digital art.
My work is available for sale through my website, www.UnstableArt.com. I am also available for commissions in illustration, painting, jewelry, and graphic design. Currently I am working on a graphic novel collaboration.
Arriving in Tacoma a few years ago, I chose not to unpack my art supplies. No watercolors, no mosaics. No craft projects. I wanted only my camera.
This action stopped other distractions and allowed me to solely concentrate on photography. And photography became a wonderful way to learn Tacoma and the Puget Sound areas. My camera became great company on my walks helping me to look carefully and engage with what’s before me.
Another influence on my work has been the combination of digital cameras, software programs and online photographic websites. These developments created a fast work flow for photography. I can take shots, upload them onto my computer for post-processing and upload them onto websites within minutes. The feedback I gain from these websites is both encouraging and immensely helpful to me. Viewing other photographer’s work shows me how others have handled light and composition – the twin champions of good photography. It challenges me to improve and encourages me to get behind my lens to think, learn and shoot.
As I’ve gathered images worthy of display, the City of Tacoma, through their artslistserve site, has informed me about local opportunities for presenting my work. I’ve had my work purchased twice by Pierce County for their public art collection. I’ve shown my work at juried shows at the Proctor Art Fest and at Franke Tobey Jones. I’ve been part of Art at Work Art Slams and with the Proctor Art Walk. My work is also featured on tourist websites for Tacoma, the Olympic Peninsula and in San Diego.
The City of Tacoma also offered me a wonderful opportunity to organize their Photo Safaris. Safaris are a photo event in which locations, not normally accessible to the general public, are presented for a few hours for local photographers to come and shoot. A few weeks following the shoot, I display everyone’s work in the Mayor’s Gallery at City Hall. During past safaris, we’ve climbed the clock tower of old City Hall; explored the tower and abandoned rooms of the old Armory; and enjoyed the spectacular view from the bell tower at First Presbyterian Church. Recently, we toured the three theaters that make up the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.
Thank you for taking time with this site. I thank Elliot Trotter, videographer and creator of this site, for selecting me as a featured artist. He’s a good listener who engaged me in interesting conversation making my time on the other side of the lens enjoyable. If you would care to visit my photo site, you may at:
The Melon and The Sweet-Spot Gallery are proud to present the work of our premier artist Ellen Miffit. Ellen has kindly supplied a detailed biography and slides of her fantastic work. In addition, you’ll find two videos which offer greater perspective on Ellen and her art.
The Sweet-Spot, The Melon’s revolutionary online gallery is announcing the deadline for its first show, opening in January.
The deadline for submissions is Monday December 8th, 2008.
Our first virtual show is scheduled to open Monday January 5th, 2009, so make with the art.
What does The Sweet-Spot mean by art? We mean everything visual. Photography, paintings, pottery, jewelry, tattoo art, even film. In other words, submit anything that could feasibly appear on our online gallery.
Subscribe to the Sweet-Spot Tag