New Light

The views and opinions expressed by the artist(s) are their own and do not reflect the official policy or position of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.

Oliver Ellington shares his thoughts on a new job, working in the arts and a new perspective that inspired 180 ...

The name [180] came when I was working on a drawing and discovered I liked it better upside down. So, I thought to try artwork that could be viewed with either side up.

While I have primarily used acrylics for recent works, for this piece I went back to the basic elements of art: line, shape, space, scale and texture. In practice, by augmenting layers and lines, my hope is to create more imaginative work, rather than realistic.

I am inspired by shapes, shadows, popular culture and harmony. When off the clock, I like to doodle and take inspiration from those doodles to make art. In my long term artistic practice, I'm working on an homage to the comedian, Nathan Fielder.

shift for me reflected a shift in workplace — new work environment — and also a shift in artistic interpretation. This was the second piece I made for this show. The first one was rejected by the artist for harsh colors and a weird layout. By starting over with my artwork, I was able to take the aspects I liked and revamp the stylistic choices. Initially, I sketched profiles of a horse, but the final work came out looking more like a camel. This also taught me that my artwork will be better if I plan to make it twice and do better the second time.

One thing that might surprise the viewer is that the the organic lines were inspired by the hairs on my arm.

I'm fortunate enough to have been in two staff art shows this year! One coordinated by me at the UCO Library, and the second one here. The best part about this job is the fun and creative staff! Seeing their creative sides brought more inspiration to me, to keep my practice up. Working in the arts is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the community and their practices, as well as feel connected through creation!

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staff Exhibitions interview

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