The work of local artist and poet Harley Elliott is now on display in the Salina Public Library's virtual Gallery 708.
The exhibit, Harley Elliott's Allies, will be on display at salinapubliclibrary.org/virtual until Jan. 3, 2021. While Elliott has created more than 140 mixed media pieces for this collection, Salina Public Library will be exhibiting 20 works from Elliott's series.
Elliott began creating Allies after a serious health crisis in 2014. He recognized at that time that he needed some allies.
"It's a matter of recognizing allies more so than wanting allies. Creating some is also good because art is a matter of process of discovery. I might discover an ally within myself that I didn’t know I had."
The manipulation of color and water is an important element of Elliott’s work. The mediums are humble; uniformly each ally is crafted atop a 16×20" illustration board. From his home living room floor, the flattest surface he has to work on, the figures are carefully created from any combination of acrylic paint, Conte crayon, inks, colored pencil and every once in a while non-traditional medium.
A lifelong student of the arts, Elliott received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kansas Wesleyan University in art and English, then earned a Master of Arts in painting from Highlands University, Las Vegas, N.M.
Early in his career, he started out as a book designer at Syracuse University Press 1968-1970 and later went on to teach art as an assistant professor at Salina’s Marymount College for 13 years. After Marymount, he served as the education coordinator at the Salina Art Center for more than a decade.
Today he is an established Kansas visual artist and the author of 13 books, including 11 poetry titles, one children’s book, and one memoir, many of which can be found in Salina Public Library’s book collection.
If you’d like to learn more about the artist or the virtual gallery, or would like to purchase art showcased, please contact Salina Public Library Programs Coordinator Glory Benacka at 785-825-4624, ext. 219, or email [email protected].