Meet OOPS Artist... Ellen Elder

Artist ~ Ellen Elder

After 30 years of teaching, ( the last twenty teaching art), I've finally retired and picked up my art utensils again. Originally from Northern California, I graduated from California State University in Sacramento witha BA in Fine Arts. I later completed a graduate program in Special Education and taught multi-handicapped children for several years. In 1986, I was offered a teaching position to teach art for the Dept. of Defense. I traveled to Japan and taught at Yokota Air Base for 2 years. I met my husband Mike, a Lt. Col. in the USMC (now retired), in Japan and we moved to North Carolina in 1988. We have lived in Surf City ever since. Until my recent retirement, I taught art for the Camp Lejeune Dependents' Schools.

My art has been on the back-burner and I hope to rekindle the passion. I used to paint large oil paintings and watercolors, but over the past fewyears have worked on smaller detailed pencil drawings. I feel a need to branch out and OOPS! came along at just the right moment.

Another dream of mine is to build an art center midway between Jacksonville and Wilmington near Holly Ridge and Surf City. I have the land, am negotiating with a builder and hope to break ground next year (2008). It will offer studio space, a gallery, space for classes, etc. I will keep you posted on the progress.

If you have any questions or suggestions for the art center, please e-mail me at:
ArtExposure@charter.net.
Ellen Elder

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This just in... Great News from Ellen about Art Exposure L.L.C. coming in 2008...

Dear Artists and Friends,
My name is Ellen Elder and I am a recently retired art teacher. My dream has always been to open an art center that would be representative of The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA and ArtSpace in Raleigh, NC. I own an acre lot on Highway 17 midway between Jacksonville and Wilmington, closest to Holly Ridge and Topsail Island. I plan to break ground this spring with a 4600 square foot open barnlike area that can be used for several purposes. If you’re not familiar with The Torpedo Factory and ArtSpace, let me share my vision:


Vision Statement: ArtExposure will provide the local community with a dynamic space for artists of all ages to work and learn. The art center will be a needed addition in an area that is lacking a large central location for artists to meet, teach classes, work in open studios and market their work in a public forum. ArtExposure will offer twenty studio spaces for lease to deserving artists that need space in which to work. Artists must spend a certain amount of hours a week working in their studios. Since ArtExposure will be open to the public, the artists will be juried in by a board of directors. The board will be elected by members of ArtExposure. Regular weekly and weekend classes will be offered for children and adults. Summer art and theater camps will be offered for children. A large open community space will be available for the public to rent for special events such as receptions and meetings. This will generate additional income for the center. In addition, this open communal area will be used for rotating art shows which will be open to the public.

Where: Highway 17. Drive ¼ mile south of 210 (by Lowes in Surf City) and Highway 17. It’s the one acre lot on the right next to Anchor Realty.

For additional information: please e-mail http://www.blogger.com/ArtExposure@charter.net