Clay Ellis, RCA

Clay Ellis was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, in 1955. He currently resides in Edmonton, where he has maintained a studio since 1981. Ellis has been included in numerous exhibitions in England, France, Spain, Botswana, the USA, and Canada. He has been a participant in many international workshops.

In 1995, while living in France, he co-organized Triangle France, an international artists workshop held at the l'Ecole d'Art de Marseille-Luminy. In 2003 he was the guest artist at the Emma Lake Workshop, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2006, he was invited to be an artist in residence and construct an installation in the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.

Ellis has given lectures at the University of Lethbridge, the University of Saskatchewan, the Georgian College, the Emily Carr School of Art and Design, and the New York Studio School. He is represented in private and public collections including the Mendel Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Canada Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona.

A SHORT STATEMENT:

It is my studio practice to allow work to come from work -- a daisy chain of images and objects -- each new project is linked to the one preceding it, blending the refinement of process with changes in circumstance. The artifacts produced, while sharing a lineage, are distinguished by the moment in which they are made.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2018 Amuse-Bouches & Mintz, Peter Roberson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2016 The Third Stake Esplanade Art Gallery, Medicine Hat, Alberta

2016 Sculptures at an Exhibition, Peter Roberson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2014 Weaners, Culls, and Divvies, The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta

2012 Simple Equations, Sticks, and Mascots for Dirty Little Cities, Peter Roberson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2009 Related Articles, Peter Roberson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2009 Eight miles of Barbed Wire, APT Gallery, London, UK

2007 Nappe Sacree, Gallery One, Toronto, Ontario

2005 Eight Miles of Barbed Wire, Inaugural Exhibition, Esplanade Art Gallery, Medicine Hat, Alberta

2005 Remittance, Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2004 New York Studio School, NY, (Installation in conjunction with the Evening Lecture Series)

2002 Postmarks and Memos, Gallery One, Toronto, Ontario; Harcourt House, Edmonton, Alberta

2000 The Works, Edmonton, Alberta

1994 Black & Greenberg Gallery, New York

1993 The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

1983 The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2014 Fresh Paint, University of Alberta Museums

2014 90 x 90: Celebrating Art in Alberta Art Gallery of Alberta

2012 Venerator, Allan Ball, Chris Cran, Clay Ellis, John Freeman, Angela Inglis, George Littlechild, Jane Ash Poitras, Daryl Rydman, Art Gallery of Alberta

2009 Extreme Possibilities, Frances Barth, Clay Ellis, John Gibson, Joseph Marioni, Marjorie Minkin, Jill Nathanson, Thomas Nozkowski, Susan Roth, The Painting Center, New York, NY

2007 Color As Structure / Structure As Color, Jill Nathanson, Enrico Riley, Ann Walsh, and Clay Ellis, Lori Bookstein Fine Art, New York

2007 Aspects of Abstraction, FAB Gallery, University of Alberta

2006 Bag and Baggage, Galerie de l’Ecole superieure des beaux-arts, Marseille

2006 The Emily Carr School of Art, Vancouver August 2006

2006 2 x 2 , Clay Ellis and Karlis Rekevics, Jaffe-Friede & Strauss Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

2005 Spell, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskachewan

2005 The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Ontario

2005 The Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta, The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2002 The Body Disembodied: Vinent Barre, Willard Boepple, John Gibbons, and Clay Ellis, TheMacLaren Centre For the Arts, Barrie, Ontario

2003 Technicolour: Chris Cran, Geoffrey Hunter, Angela Leach, Chris Rodgers, Arlene Stamp, and Clay Ellis, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

2002 Five Degrees, 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Art Gallery of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

2002 Selections from the Canada Council Art Bank, Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, Ontario

2000 Materialism: Jonathan Forrest, Terry O’Flanagan, and Clay Ellis

2000 Art Placement Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

1997 Peter Hide and Clay Ellis, Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

1996 The Berman Collection at the Johnson Atelier, Hamilton, New Jersey

1995 Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey

1995 Triangle France, Hôtel du Départment, Marseille, France

1994 Obscure Object (2 person exhibition), Littlejohn/Sternau Gallery, New York

1993 On Site, Phillip and Muriel Berman Museum, Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania

1993 Lead and Follow: The Continuity of Abstraction/The Robert Loder Collection, Bede Gallery, Jarrow, Northumberland and Atlantis Gallery, London

1993 City of Poughkeepsie Sculpture Park, Poughkeepsie, New York

1990 Sculpture by Invitation, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta (also 1989, 88, 87, 86)

1989 Exotic Steel, Fine Arts Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

1989 Drawing Motivations, Glenbow Museum and Art Gallery, Calgary, Alberta

1987 Studio Watch (Valentin Tatransky, curator), Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta

1987 Collaboration in Clay, Alberta College of Art, Calgary, Alberta

1986 Hardingham Sculpture Workshop, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, England

1985 Sculpture City, Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta Stockwell Depot, London, England

1985 Southern Exposure, (touring exhibition) organized by Alberta Culture

COLLECTIONS

City of Vancouver Transalta, Calgary

Alberta Art Foundation Phillip and Muriel Berman Museum,

Canada Council Art Bank Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania

City of Red Deer, Alberta City of Medicine Hat, Alberta

Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The Robert Loder Collectioon Lehigh Valley Hospital Collection, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, Spain Triangle Trust, New York

National Gallery of Botswana Sant Pere de Villamajor, Spain

University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta Westburne Collection, Montreal, Quebec

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA

2002 Guest Artist: Emma Lake Artists Workshop, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan

2002 Invited Artist: Triangle Artists' Workshop, Brooklyn, New York

2000 Emma Lake Invitational Artists Workshop, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan

1994 Triangle France, Marseille, France (President of Triangle France and Participant)

1992 Mashomack Workshop, Pine Plains, New York

1992 Workshop Leader: Thapong International Artists Workshop, Gaborone, Botswana

1990 Triangle Artists' Workshop, Pine Plains, New York

1989 Sant Pere Workshop, Sant Pere de Villamajor, Spain

1988 Sant Pere Workshop, Sant Pere de Villamajor, Spain

1987 Art Triangle Barcelona, (invitational workshop), Barcelona, Spain

1984 Collaboration in Clay Workshop, Edmonton, Alberta

1984 Hardingham Invitational Sculpture Workshop, Norwich, England

1985 Director: Medicine Hat Sculpture Symposium, Medicine Hat, Alberta

1982 Triangle Artists' Workshop, Pine Plains, New York

1981 Emma Lake Artists Workshop, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan

1980 Emma Lake Artists Workshop, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan

TEACHING

2004 Guest lecturer New York Studio School, New York, NY

2004 Guest lecturer University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge,

2003 Artist in residence Georgian College, Barrie, Ontario

2003 Guest lecturer Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta

2002 Guest lecturer University of Saskatoon, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2001 Guest lecturer University of Alberta, Department of Sociology,

1986 Visiting artist Norwich School of Art, Norwich, England

1983-99 Sessional Instructor, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

COMMUNITY

1995-1997 Artshab board member, Edmonton

1994-2000 Advisor to the Friends of Medalta Board

2000-2002 Edmonton Art Gallery board member

PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

City of Medicine Hat

City of Red Deer

City of Vancouver

City of Edmonton Red Deer Sculpture Symposium

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mary Reid, "Perceptions, Disconnections and Transitions," Exhibition catalogue, Weaners, Culls and Divvies, 2014

Karen Wilkin, "The State of Sculpture," The New Criterion, May 2014

Amy Fung, "Where the Magic Happens," Vue Weekly, Edmonton, November 12, 2009

Mary Reid, Review of APT Gallery exhibition London UK, Border Crossings, Issue 111, Autumn 2009

Karen Wilkin, "Mass, Time, and Memory," Sculpture, Vol.26, November, 2007

Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada, 2007

Monika Burman, "Setting a Sacred Table," MAG, Toronto, June 2007

Patricia Ainslie & Mary-Beth Laviolette, Alberta Art and Artists, 2007

Robin Laurence, "Show Carries Baggage of a Global Art World," Georgia Straight, Vol. 40, August 24, 2006

Douglas MacLean, "Abstraction's Bold New Face," Galleries West, Summer 2006

Clint Burnham, "Baggage Handled With Care," The Vancouver Sun, September 2, 2006

Mary-Beth Laviolette, An Alberta Art Chronicle, 2006

Gilbert Bouchard, "Straddling Borders of Sculpture, Painting," Edmonton Journal, Oct 28 2005

Karen Wilkin, "New Directions in Modernist Sculpture," Sculpture, December 2004

Mary Reid, "The Body Disembodied," Art City Magazine, Vol.6, Issue 4, 2004

Gilbert Bouchard, (review) "Technicolour," Edmonton Journal, March 28 2003

Karen Wilkin, "An Inadvertent Vanguard," The Hudson Review, Spring 2002

Karen Wilkin, "Reformalism, Clay Ellis' Recent Sculpture," BorderCrossings, May 2002

Sky Glabush, "A Review of 'Materialism'," New West, July 2000

Charles Mandel, (review) The Works, The Edmonton Journal, July 9, 1996

Charles Mandel, "Rumbles of Discord," National Post, July 8 1999

Karen Wilkin, "At the Galleries," Partisan Review, Spring 1995

Jeanne C. Wilkinson, (review), The New York Review of Art, January-February 1995

Robert Taplin, "Clay Ellis at Black & Greenburg," Art in America, April 1995

George Melrod, "Reviews - New York," Sculpture Magazine, March 1995

Mary Schaffer, "Maquette," Sculpture Magazine, February 1994

Pauline Pinard Bogaert, "Ursinus Sculpture Show," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1994

Pherlayn Dove, "The Transformation of Discarded Ruins," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 1994

Anonymous, "Museum Sculpture Exhibition," The Mercury, (Pennsylvania), May 25,1994

Myra Y. Goldfarb, "Cut from a Different Mold," Morning Call, Allentown, Penn, August 1994

Florence Schelzel, "Poughkeepsie Journal," August 1993

Lelde Muehlenbachs, "The Place of Sculpture," BorderCrossings, June 1993

Scott Morrison, "The Barcelona Triangle," Newsletter, (Edmonton) January 1998

Karen Wilkin, "Excerpts from a Triangle Journal" and Teresa Blanch, "Stimuli and Spaces," Art Triangle Barcelona Catalogue, 1987

Esperanza Rabal, "Art Triangle Barcelona," La Vanguardia, (Barcelona), July 2, 1987

Scott Morisson, "Reach for the Top," Newsletter, (Edmonton), June 1987

Susa Dasca, "Art Triangle Barcelona," Diari 16, (Madrid), May 20, 1987

Anna Guasch, "Art Triangle Barcelona," Diari de Barcelona, (Barcelona), May 31, 87

Stephen Hume, "Monumental Clay," Contact, December 1986

Charles Mandel, "Red Deer Sculpture," Newsletter, (Edmonton), December 1985

Terry Fenton and Russell Bingham, "Sculpture City," Update, (Edmonton), September 1985

Anita Elash, "Media," Alberta Report, July 15, 1985

Tom Phillips, "Albertans," Alberta Report, February 25, 1985

Katharine Dickerson, "Commissioning Visual Art," Alberta Culture, 1984

Russell Bingham, "Clay Ellis: New Sculptures," Update, (Edmonton) January 1983

Sandra Shaul, "Alberta," Newsletter, (Edmonton), December 1980