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Our Background in ArtArtwork by Tom & Renee ElpelText by Thomas J. Elpel
Renee and I both come from artistic families. Renee's mother Judy has spent a lifetime in the art world, painting and framing art. Renee grew up working at her mother's Artshoppe, attending gallery openings and framing artwork for customers. Renee naturally attended art classes throughout high school, which is where our relationship took root. Art runs in my family too, and my aunt has been a career artist for most of her life. My mother was an amateur artist and encouraged us kids in art throughout childhood. She went professional with her art only after all of us kids were out of the nest. Like Renee, I took every art class that was offered through our high school, including general art, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and painting, plus independent study. It was a good thing that we were both in the art room so much, given that we were both so quiet and shy. It wasn't until after we painted each other's portraits and worked on sculptures together that we finally got up the nerve to ask each other out. If it wasn't for all the time in the art room, we would have never had our first date! Due to all of our other distractions (family, work, etc.), neither of us do much artwork these days, except for some of the drawings in Tom's books. But a few of our favorites from the past are on display here. Sorry, none of our artwork is for sale.
Renee's Artwork | Tom's Artwork
A Sampler of Renee's Artwork
"Onion" Renee is a quiet person who likes painting "quiet still lifes" -- peaceful paintings with soft lighting and gentle moods. Watercolor. (Not for sale.)
"The Rain of Time" Father Sun and Mother Moon smiled at their newborn ball of molten rock spinning slowly in space below them. "Our child is so beautiful," said Father Sun. This was a sample painting for Tom's book Shanleya's Quest, which was ultimately illustrated by Gloria Brown, who was more skilled at plant drawings than we were. Watercolor. (Not for sale.)
"Shanleya" It is early morning here in this waterworld that we meet Shanleya gazing at the reflection of her earth-toned skin and sky blue eyes in the water beside her canoe. What started eons ago as little more than a bubble in a puddle of soup on a young planet, had evolved into this happy young girl... (Another sample painting for Shanleya's Quest.) Watercolor. (Not for sale.)
A Sampler of Tom's Artwork
Eternity - I once found this bald eagle feather, which was so majestic that I was inspired to paint a picture of it casting its shadow over the landscape. Unfortunately, it is illegal to possess predatory bird parts, and I commited a crime the moment I picked the feather up off the ground. Our laws may seem a little arcane at times, such as when you find a feather on the ground like this, and you cannot save it and put it to good use. But there is a positive intention behind the law. That intention is to prevent people from killing and selling predatory birds. For the most part the law works. It is unfortunate that the law also punishes those of us whose intentions are pure and positive. I would never think of killing a predatory bird, but it is sure hard to pass up a beautiful feather lying on the ground. While my painting hung on my wall, the eagle feather that inspired it landed in the bottom of a drawer and eventually disappeared. Watercolor. (Not for sale.)
Waterfall - I discovered this spot as a teenager. I was walking on the nearby road and I heard the sound of the rushing, pounding water. I knew that there must be a small waterfall in the stream to produce that much noise. I followed the sound and literally fought my way through the dense thickets of willows, currents, and stinging nettles. What I discovered was a small, beautiful, secluded sanctuary like none I had ever seen. On the left is a moss-covered boulder ten feet tall. On the right stands a boulder almost as high and another that is two feet higher. Upstream, a random pile of smaller boulders divides the flow of the water into three separate falls. The most powerful of the falls pounds white over stair-stepped boulders and gushes into the pool behind the bigger boulders. Bright green moss on the granite stones highlights the pure, virgin white. On the left a short, but still powerful, white waterfall spills down a few feet and pounds on a smaller boulder, sending an alluvial spray of white water around the rock and into the pool. The weakest of the falls is a little to the left of center between the other two. It starts behind a boulder and then free-falls to the pool. In the middle of the pool lies another good-sized rock, covered with moss. In the shade of the rocks and close to the water, the moss is dark green. On top it is bright fluorescent green, with three or four small clumps of equally bright grass growing from the moss base. The pool itself is one and a half feet deep and ten feet across between the big boulders. Most of this streambed is lined with rocks, but this one pool has a sandy yellow bottom. It was because of this sanctuary that I decided to make my campsite nearby and visit this place often. Watercolor. (Not for sale.)
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