Richard Ely

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Richard Ely

A mixed media art work depicting playful animals.

"Purple Playland" by Richard Ely.

We are lucky to know Richard Ely as a contributor to Isthmus, but he’s not just a thoughtful wordsmith, he’s also a visual artist. He works in torn paper collage, a whimsical and surprising genre that requires patience and imagination. He calls his colorful works “Landscapes of Wonder,” and they truly are. They should brighten the corridor between the main information desk and the pharmacy at the busy University Hospital.

media release: From March 30-May 2, Richard Ely’s colorful torn and cut paper artworks will be displayed at UW Hospital, 600 Highland Av., Madison. at the Hospital Entrance E5/2, located between the main information desk and the pharmacy. Parking is available in the hospital parking lot for a fee. Artworks are available for purchase.

Note: the reception for the artist  on Thursday, April 4, is canceled.

Richard Ely began making torn-paper collage about 15 years ago. Working alone, without guidance or instruction, he slowly developed a process and sensibility of his own. From the start, he worked spontaneously, relying on intuition and a felt sense of balance in composition. He liked to take blind leaps and surprise himself, sometimes turning in-process artworks upside down and continuing from there.

By the time of his first show in December 2010, he was calling his brightly colored, whimsical collages “Landscapes of Wonder.” Back then, he used only torn tissue paper, but eventually allowed himself scissors and decorative paper.

By now he has amassed great piles of colorful paper and paper scraps – enough, most likely, to paper the inside walls of a small house. He still begins each new artwork by simply reaching for a few pieces that appeal to him and pasting them down on a larger sheet. From there, it’s trial and error, serendipity, patience, discernment, and luck.

He hopes his torn and cut paper collages add a bit of beauty and delight to our precious and precarious world.

To view more of Richard’s artwork, visit facebook.com/LandscapesOfWonder.