Brad Ellis is a mid-career, Texas-based artist whose focus is on abstract painting. Throughout his career he has continually experimented with imagery from tightly rendered, systematic patterns too loosely constructed, expressionistic compositions. He has distinguished himself by embracing the ancient medium of encaustic which is hot wax painting and is a process by which heated bees wax is mixed with pigments and applied to board or canvas and then fused to the surface with a heat source. The pure physicality of the paint combined with various collage elements render distinct textures and surface treatments that energize his abstract imagery with movement and excitement.
Brad earned his BFA from the University of Tulsa and his work is represented by several art galleries across the country. His paintings are included in many prominent private and corporate art collections and has been included in the U. S. State Department’s Art In Embassies Program, where his work was displayed in the Ambassador’s residence in Kampala, Uganda. As well, his paintings are featured in two recent books, Texas Abstract, Modern + Contemporary, published by Fresco Books and Encaustic Art In The Twenty-First Century, published by Schiffer.
American, b. 1958
One Person Exhibitions
2020 Altered States, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2018 No Holds Bared, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2016 From Here To There: An Abstract Continuum, Russell Collection, Austin, TX
2016 Cacophonies Of Color, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2014 Textures and Gestures: Intertwined, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2013 Line, Form and Color: Harmonic Convergence, Lew Allen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2012 The Organic Line, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2011 Rhyme, Chance and Circumstance, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2009 Pattern, Rhythm and Process, Lew Allen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2008 Linear Compositions, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2007 Brad Ellis: New Work, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2006 Brad Ellis: Inaugural Show, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2003 Abstract Renderings, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2000 Brad Ellis: New Work, Metropolitan Gallery, Austin, TX
1996 Brad Ellis: Recent Work, Boyd Levinson Gallery, Dallas, TX
Two and Three Person Exhibitions
2018 Chroma: Brad Ellis and Michael Kessler, Russell Collection Fine Art, Austin, TX
2016 New Work: Brad Ellis and Tracey Harris, M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2016 Parallel Lines: Amy Metier, Emmett Culligan & Brad Ellis, William Havu Gallery, Denver, CO
2014 Expressions: Two Artists, Two Visions, Russell Collection, Austin, TX
2013 Textures: Brad Ellis, Cody Hooper & J.D. Miller, Russell Collection, Austin, TX
2007 Linear Variations: Brad Ellis, Madeleine Keesing & Steve Klein, Lew Allen Contemporary,
Santa Fe, NM
2005 Brad Ellis, Joseph Janson & Janet Kastner, D. Berman Gallery, Austin, TX
2005 Unique Media: Brad Ellis & Robert Berlin, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2004 Brad Ellis & Sammy Peters, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2002 Brad Ellis & Gary Schafter, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2002 Three Abstract Painters, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2001 New Works: Brad Ellis & Linda McCall, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2001 Abstraction: Three Painters, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
1999 New Works: Brad Ellis & Jim Ringley, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
1997 The Essence of Place: Brad Ellis & Stewart Cohen, Marie Park Fine Art, Dallas, TX
Group Exhibitions
2020 Wax Applications: Showcasing the Depth and Breadth ofEncaustic and Cold Wax Mediums,
Curated by Jane Cornish Smith, Texas A&M University - Commerce, TX
2020 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2019 Spring Group Show, Russell Collection Fine Art, Austin, TX
2019 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2019 Six Local Artists, Russell Collection Fine Art, Austin, TX
2019 The Languages of Abstraction, M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2018 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2017 A Celebration of Color, Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, TX
2017 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2016 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2015 Abstractly, M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2015 Texas Abstract: Modern & Contemporary, Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX
2015 Color Play: Primacy of Color in Contemporary Art, Lew Allen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2015 Texas Abstract: Modern & Contemporary, Sonja Roesch Gallery, Houston, TX
2014 Texas Abstract: Modern & Contemporary, Wade Wilson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2014 Red Dot, Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio, TX
2012 From Realism to Abstraction, Lew Allen Contemporary, Scottsdale, AZ
2012 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2012 Art By Southwest, Russell Collection Fine Art, Austin, TX
2011 Gallery Artists, Rosenbaum Contemporary, Boca Raton, FL
2011 Best of Texas, Russell Collection, Austin, TX
2011 Collections, Cultures and Collaborations: Inspirations from The Neiman Marcus Collection, University of North Texas Art Gallery, Denton, TX
2010 Surface, M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2010 Contemporary Forum, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2010 Annual Gallery Artists Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2009 Survey of Texas Art, Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Wichita Falls, TX
2009 Stimulate, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2008 All Inclusive: A Group Exhibition, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2007 First Bloom: Dialogues in Exuberance, Victoria Price Contemporary Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006 25th Anniversary Show, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2006 Gallery Artists: Fall Exhibition, Viveza Gallery, Seattle, WA
2006 Annual Members Show, Dallas Center for Contemporary Art, Dallas, TX
2005 New Gallery Space Celebration, Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2004 5 x 7, Arthouse, Austin, TX
2003 2003 Gallery Invitational, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2003 New Work by Gallery Artists, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2003 5 x 7, Dunn and Brown Contemporary Art, Dallas, TX
2002 Surface Tensions, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX (Curator, Clint Willour)
2002 Refrigerated Air, D Berman Gallery, Austin, TX
2002 One Wish, The Dallas Center For Contemporary Art, Dallas, TX
2001 The Mac’s bi-Annual Juried Exhibition, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
(Juror: Annette Carlozzi, Curator of American & Contemporary Art at the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX)
2000 Critic’s Choice Juried Exhibition, Dallas Visual Art Center, Dallas, TX(Juror: Steve Nash, Executive Director, Palm Springs Art Museum Winner: Best of Show Award)
1999 A Fresh Look at Texas Art: Juried Exhibition, McKinney Avenue Contemporary,
Dallas, TX (Juror: Terrie Sultan, Director of the Corcoran Gallery, Washington DC)
1999 New Artists Show, Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
1999 Beau Arts Show, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
1999 Tongues of Fire: Juried Competition, Biblical Arts Center, Dallas, TX
1999 Off The Page, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
1998 New Artists Show, Craighead-Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
1998 Madness at the Mac, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
1998 Annual Members Show, Dallas Visual Arts Center, Dallas, TX
1997 Neiman Marcus 90th Anniversary Show, Neiman Marcus, Dallas, TX
1997 Annual Members Show, Dallas Visual Arts Center
1996 Art Prospects: A New Beginning, LaJolla Art Gallery, LaJolla, CA
1996 Annual Members Show, Dallas Visual Arts Center, Dallas, TX
1994 Exquisite Corps, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
1994 Eleutheria, Trammel Crow Gallery, Dallas, TX
1994 Six Decades of Art: TU Alumni, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
1994 Annual Members Show, Dallas Visual Arts Center, Dallas, TX
1994 The 500X Open Show: Juried Exhibition, 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
(Juror: Nancy Whitenack, Owner, Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX
(Winner: Best of Show Award)
1992 The 500X Open Show, 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
1991 A Decade in Deep Ellum, Art Bar, Dallas, TX
Select Publications
2016 Encaustic Art In The Twenty-First Century, published by Schiffer
2014 Texas Abstract: Modern + Contemporary, published by Fresco Books
Honors
2019 Facebook Artist in Residence, Austin, TX
2016 U.S. State Department’s Art In Embassies Program, Kampala, Uganda
Education
The University of Tulsa, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree 1984
PATTERN, RHYTHM AND PROCESS
My artistic practice is all about consistency. It is an everyday approach in my studio that as an abstract painter involves creative challenges and hopefully solutions to the endeavors of making art.
My paintings are a combination of mixed media works that involve encaustic, oil, enamel, acrylic and collage, emphasizing color, form, texture and surface treatments.
I approach each new painting with the same consistency that I’ve employed for many years now which I refer to as “Pattern, Rhythm and Process.” I typically start each painting by building up layers of paper and / or fabric collage materials by cutting and mounting these pieces onto the canvas or board and arranging them in a way to form the underlying pattern of the painting. This helps lay the foundation for the initial imagery and paves the way for the applications of the other mediums.
The next phase of the work is the part I refer to as rhythm. This starts the mark making portion of the piece as I begin incorporating expressionistic brushwork to create different lines, forms and shapes that get worked and reworked in order to strike the right pictorial balance and to create a sense of “surface tension” that is very important to me. There is a lot of back and forth, pushing and pulling, adding and subtracting of the different paint applications all of which are competing for attention.
In the final process portion of the work, I begin applying layers of the wax-based medium of encaustic. This involves fusing, burning, melting and re-applying this ancient medium in order to achieve surface treatments that can be extremely thick and physical or as smooth as glass.
I tend to create bodies of work by doing a series of paintings with the same concept running through each piece. Though consistent in my approach, this allows me to explore different avenues for the work and to come to different forks in the road as the piece is developing. This inevitably happens by choice, chance and circumstance. The unpredictability and potential sense of discovery is very exciting and one of the main reasons why I do what I do. My ultimate goal is to create a compelling work of abstract art that engages the viewer and helps fosters a meaningful artistic dialogue.