Primal Op

• Main Author: Elliot, Richard C., 1945-2008
• Format: Still Image
• Language: unknown
• Published: Washington State Library
• Subjects: Acrylic paintings; Abstract paintings; Art & Music; Indian; Elliott; eskimo*; Alaska
• Online Access: http://content.statelib.wa.gov/cdm/ref/collection/ellensburg/id/5113

Located in the lobby to the Library/ Hal Holmes Center. The acrylic on canvas painting by Richard "Dick" Elliott in 2006 was donated to the Ellensburg Public Library by Martin and Carla Kaatz. Artist bio: Richard C. Elliott was born September 1, 1945. He came to Central Washington State College in 1963. He took time off to work and to join VISTA, living a year with the Eskimos in Alaska and a year with the Makah tribe in Neah Bay. He received a BA in art in 1971, married Jane Orleman, and moved back to Portland to join his father and uncle in the family business. Realizing that Ellensburg was the home of his heart, he returned a year later to begin his life as an artist. Dick and Jane created Spot Janitorial to support their dreams. In the 80s, he developed reflectors as a painting medium, which led to more than twenty large-scale public artworks across the country such as: The Sundome (Yakima, Washington)art installation, “Circle of Light” creates the look of an Indian headband on the dome’s exterior. He also had large scale art installation commissioned for the New York Transit System, Minneapolis’ light rail system, University of Washington’s Henry Art Gallery to the Ellensburg Public Library. A work commissioned by Sound Transit in Seattle, The Sound of Light”, was honored by Americans for the Arts as one of the Outstanding Public Artworks for 2007. The nationally known art site, Dick and Jane’s Spot, at the corner of Pearl and 1st Avenue in Ellensburg was a labor of love created with his wife simply for the fun of it. Richard died November 19, 2008 of Pancreatic Cancer.