Ellen’s watercolors are a reflection of her surroundings mostly her paintings are likely in a tropical setting. There is something so special about the light in South Florida which is captivating by tropical foliage including figures in her paintings that inspires her with local color. Negley chooses busy urban settings with lots of color and have people bustling about. Although I often move things around for composition’s sake and rarely eliminate elements to make a “pretty” picture. If there happens to be telephone poles, mailbox or bird and animal life in the scene, they’ll likely end up in the painting!
Ellen Negley was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois but now resides in sunny Florida. Travel has been an important influence, spent quite a bit of time in the Caribbean as a child from Europe, South and Central America as well as Africa.
“For me, watercolor is the perfect medium. It’s elusive, unpredictable and has a mind of its own. I’m fascinated by its nuances. One minute the colors are bold and electric and the next they’re delicate and transparent. If I painted every day for the rest of my life, I still wouldn’t know all there is to know.”
