Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Elige attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for graphic art. Initially a performance artist for rock bands, he eventually tired of the rock and roll lifestyle and wanted to stop. He ended up in a studio in the same building as fellow RFA Decor artist Robert Robinson, for whom he became an apprentice. While, as an apprentice, his style was initially similar to Robert’s, he has now developed a unique style of his own. Elige’s paintings are very organic, vigorous compositions full of energy and movement. His paintings are influenced by, and infused with, all of the art he has produced throughout his life, from Mid-century Modernism to current contemporary painting. Strong and vital, his vibrant abstracts embody his response to the art of his lifetime, which has helped him define his own sense of beauty. Elige is a painter’s painter who loves the physical act of painting, the slide of tools and brushes through the material, and the tactlessness and pliability of the paint he works with more than just color. He compares the paint to the clay of the ceramicist. His oil-painted surfaces are so heavily laden that it can take up to four months for these paintings to dry. The heavily laden paint allows color to be manipulated and mixed directly on the surface of the canvas. This technique produces an inner resonance in the art which moves one’s sensibility and has a visual language uniquely its own. Intense and powerful, his expression is stirring. We invite you to examine his masterworks. Hand-embellished giclee on canvas. Size includes frame.
