Staring into a Terry Ellsworth painting may make you feel as though you are peering through the window of a spacecraft into an unidentified galaxy.

Terry’s work has been featured in popular galleries around the Central Valley. You may have seen his work in spaces such as K-Jewel, Broadway Studios, The Brush and Easel Gallery, M Street Arts Complex, and a number of private collections. Ellsworth’s patrons tend to purchase multiple pieces for their spaces. The works are immersive, complex, and fit naturally into open space floorplans.

When you walk into a gallery or private collection featuring the work of Terry Ellsworth you are instantly drawn in by the expansive flow of color and form in a distinctive bright aluminum frame. Ellsworth explains his signature polished aluminum frames represent, “the conundrum between the organic universe and the industrial edges of a man-made product.”

Terry’s work has been heavily influenced by celestial bodies since the first images from the Hubble spacecraft gave us a glimpse into the infinite inky black universe our pebble of a planet is suspended in. His mixed media paintings are inspired by nebulas, black holes, and panoramas of deep space. His otherworldly paintings hypnotize viewers and give them a peek into a universe born of the artist’s imagination.
Ellsworth uses a combination of acrylics, fabric dyes, and crayons to create a sculptural texture which adds depth to the flow of color. The texture is achieved by burning crayon into the canvas for a billowy effect which rises out from the large forms that dominate the canvas.

Terry also explores the universe through digital photography printed on large canvas. His images challenge the viewer’s concept of the everyday by altering the image and imparting a dreamlike feeling. What may look like the surface of a Martian planet may have started off as a picturesque coastal sunset. He aims to keep the essence of the “details of life” while altering them to an unexpected nearly unrecognizable version.

Ellsworth doesn’t do small. His work creates a presence and dominates walls. The artist explains the universe is his inspiration and the universe is not small. He chooses ancient names to title his works. The names are researched and chosen from the mythology of many cultures around the world. Perhaps this is done to support the permanency and omnipresence of his muse, the cosmos.

Come explore Terry Ellsworth’s “Altered States” exhibition in the Green Office Furnishings gallery. The exhibition will feature Terry’s mixed media paintings in the main gallery as well as a collection of his digital photography in the Community Conference Room. “Altered States” will run May 21st – June 14th, however the digital photography portion of the exhibit will end June 1st.

Join us for the opening reception of Terry Ellsworth’s “Altered States” at the Green Office Furnishings gallery, Thursday May 21st from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Refreshments will be provided and as always this event is free and open to the community.