born in canton, ohio in 1975, clay elliott has been creating art for most of his life. clay's early experiments in abstract expressionism and life drawing helped in creating an aesthetic that combines both genres. his paintings are heavily influenced by 60's poster art and cubism- at once modern and retro, clay's art seems lost in time.
now living and working in tempe, arizona, clay's newest work explores the "gray area" that exists in between photo realism and complete abstraction. his characters are deconstructed to their most elemental shapes, and then put back together again like pop surrealist jigsaw puzzles. many of clay's paintings literally fall apart into swimming seas of shapes as one moves in for a closer look.
I see painting as the purest discourse between a creator and his or her audience. I like being able to tell a story where I am able to present a character and a world without the hindrances of a written or spoken language. Painting is the manipulation of color and form to suggest an image with which an audience can identify. It is a way of tricking people to see something that in all actuality is not there. It is a way of imbuing an inanimate object with a certain sense of personal energy which the audience can perceive on a subconscious level. These are things that I truly love about painting. It is a language that goes beyond our day-to-day lives.
