William E. Elston: A Pacific Northwest Contemporary Realist
About
About
William E. Elston
William E. Elston is a Pacific Northwest artist best known for urban and rural landscape subjects. He has been exhibiting in the region for over 50 years. Mr. Elston has also been teaching painting and drawing in the Greater Seattle area for several decades. Currently he offers ongoing classes in painting en plein air, and offers Online Group Critiques via Zoom-based sessions.
Recent Blog Posts
My five most recent posts.
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Gouache Sketches
I have been experimenting with gouache, both in the field, and at a water media workstation that I've set up in my living space, away from my studio.
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Smokey Joe's in Snoqualmie
I was invited by my friend Mehdi Fallahian to participate in a plein air paint out in Snoqualmie Washington. I encouraged a few of my students, Bin Li, Liz Talley and Min Zhong, to participate as well.
I drove to the Duvall Park & Ride, where I joined Bin and Min in Bin's truck. We then went off together to the event. As soon as we arrived I knew what I wanted to paint. There was an old boxy tavern named Smokey Joe's, about a block off Railroad Avenue on King Street. I set up across the street, and did the painting alla prima.
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Raining Bridge
This third image is also from the Picasa download. It's a view of the railroad bridge west of the Hiram Chittenden Locks, from the Commodore Park side. The painting went through many changes; it was one of those variable seasons that Seattle is known for. It ended as a rain painting.
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Plein Air at Rotary Park
This is a work-in-progress, a painting that has been chased all over the place over the past year. The main problem is that the City of Everett neglects to trim back the foreground, and I keep having to shift my point-of-view to see my subject. By summer's end I suspect that the Snohomish River will no longer be visible, and I'll just be painting a profusion of jungle à la Le Douanier Rousseau.
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Work In Progress: Snohomish Valley, End Of Summer
This work in progress was begun earlier in the summer, while everything was still green. The valley is still predominately green, but beginning to shade into fall colors.
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Questions pertaining to acquiring works, enrolling in classes or workshops, or any related matters can be sent here. Gallery inquiries welcome.