Harley Elliott, Hanging Loose Press author of Darkness at Each Elbow, Animals That Stand in Dreams, and The Mercy of Distance is exhibiting his Allies series at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Salina, Kansas.
Harley Elliott began creating the series after a serious health crisis in 2014 and writes, “It’s a matter of recognizing allies more so than wanting allies. Creating some is also good because art is a process of discovery. I might discover an ally within myself that I didn’t know I had.” Elliott uses basic materials for creating each work: a 16 by 20 inch illustration board, acrylic paint, Conte crayon, inks, colored pencil, and every once in a while a non-traditional medium.
Harley Elliott with his Allies at the Salina Art Center 2016 (Photo credit: Tom Dorsey)
Elliott received his bachelor’s degree from Kansas Wesleyan University in art and English, then earned a master’s degree in painting from Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Early in his career, he worked as a book designer at Syracuse University Press from 1968-1970 and later went on to teach art as an assistant professor at Salina’s Marymount College for 13 years. After Marymount, he served as the education coordinator at the Salina Art Center for over a decade. Today he is an established Kansas visual artist and the author of 13 books.
Harley Elliott began creating the series after a serious health crisis in 2014 and writes, “It’s a matter of recognizing allies more so than wanting allies. Creating some is also good because art is a process of discovery. I might discover an ally within myself that I didn’t know I had.” Elliott uses basic materials for creating each work: a 16 by 20 inch illustration board, acrylic paint, Conte crayon, inks, colored pencil, and every once in a while a non-traditional medium.
