Marco Elliott

Visual Artist Landscape Painter, Doodle Maniac, Printmaker, Author, Muralist, Teacher, .. Know Me Better

Bonjour, je m'appelle Marco!

French English

Arteest Statement

Over the years my work has been eclectic and diverse in the various media used as a means of expressions. One aspect has remained constant: a deep reverence for what some call Eros and others have called Nature. Whether as a printmaker or as a painter, the human female figure and vast landscapes have been my essential focus. Since moving to Oregon, I have rediscovered an old passion: plein air painting. I thrive with the adrenaline rush brought on by tackling mano a mano the complex emotions conveyed by our human perception of the Great Cosmic Outdoors and attempting to translate them, brush in hand, in a state of astonished contemplation.

Biography

I grew up and attended school in the foothills of the southern Mediterranean Alps (lycée Carnot, in Cannes). After passing the Baccalauréat, I was accepted at the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. My plan was to study engraving and printmaking at the Ateliers Cami & Couteau. I missed out on experiencing the revolutionary upheaval of May 1968 as I had transferred to the Allgemein Gewerbeschule in Basel, Slumberland – Switzerland to study graphic design Bauhaus style.

The year spent in Basel was followed by a real hard-knocks education in experimental low carbon travel from France to India and Nepal, through Afghanistan, later hitchhiking through the US and an eleven-month residence in Mexico. In all those travels, I always carried one or several sketchbooks. After Mexico, I settled for some years in Southern France where I was awarded art commissions for street murals. I also created a body of plein air paintings in Bargeme, Valensol, Dormillouse and Callian, often making ends meet as a graphic artist/illustrator and doing manual jobs, most notably as an apprentice Stonemason restoring a medieval castle in the Haut Var.

In the mid 80’s began a new chapter: After a trip to the Sahara desert on a motorcycle in the South of Algeria, I began writing a book on Murals for a Parisian publisher. In documenting murals to be featured in the book, I met Joanna, my future wife, a muralist, who was teaching art in Los Angeles. A baby girl came into the picture, I went for a steady job as an art teacher in the Los Angeles School District for 22 years. During that time I was awarded commissions to create 3 large murals with students for SPARC & the Cultural Affairs of L.A and for the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

In 2000, a second book was completed for the same publisher, on Scratchboard, a process used by artists & illustrators, entitled “Secrets de la Carte a Gratter” or “Secrets of Scratchboard” (LTA, Paris). In 2009 my wife and I moved to Eugene. Coastal Oregon is currently a bountiful source of inspiration, my chosen window into the vast ever-changing yoniverse. I am currently working on several book projects.

Contact Me

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