Cover Girl

Congratulations to my dear friend Ellen Buselli...on the cover of American Artist once again. Watch for the January 2008 Issue. Here's a sneak peek from Ellen Buselli: Observing Carefully,Thinking Abstractly and Painting Traditionally

"Painting is all about observation,” says still life painter Ellen Buselli. “The process involves thinking abstractly—even if you’re painting traditionally—not looking at the objects themselves but observing how light, atmosphere, value, color, edges, and temperature work together to give an object its form. If you’re thoughtful about all of the above, a painting will emerge, and a two-dimensional surface will become three dimensional.” Buselli always observes—and paints—from life in her studio, admitting that light is one of the most important elements of her still life setups. “I paint under natural, north light,” she says. “It’s a cooler, indirect light, and shadows remain the same value and in the same position all day.”