MONTEREY BAY, Calif. — September 16, 2026 — California palette-knife artist Lisa Elley is expanding her commission practice with narrative landscapes that combine meaningful places, memory and personal story with her signature thick impasto technique.
Known for expressive contemporary landscapes painted entirely with palette knives, Elley has long focused on the California coast, redwoods, wildflowers and atmospheric Western scenery. Her recent commissions extend that visual language into more personal territory, using collector photographs, meaningful locations and loosely rendered human presence as starting points for original paintings rather than images to reproduce literally.
Recent Kauaʻi-inspired commissions, including Carried by the Trade Winds and Hula at Sunset, reflect this direction. Each work was developed through conversation, reference imagery and interpretation, allowing the landscape to remain central while carrying a deeper sense of memory, movement and connection.
“Some places hold more than scenery. They hold a story, a memory, or a sense of belonging. I’m interested in creating paintings that preserve that feeling without becoming literal illustrations,” Elley said.
Elley’s recent work also includes large-scale California coastal paintings and Pebble Beach-inspired commissions for private collectors and residential interiors. She is the author of Palette Knife Painting: Deep Impasto, published by Walter Foster / Quarto, and has maintained a long-running artist partnership with Italian palette-knife manufacturer RGM. Her work has also appeared in gallery exhibitions, private collections and collaborations including Wente Vineyards.
Based on the Monterey Bay, Elley continues to create original California landscapes while accepting a limited number of private commissions centered on meaningful places, memories and environments.
About Lisa Elley
Lisa Elley is a California contemporary landscape artist known for expressive palette-knife paintings and richly textured impasto surfaces. Her work is inspired by the California coast, redwoods, wildflowers and meaningful places, with an emphasis on atmosphere, movement and color.
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Media Contact
Company Name: Lisa Elley
Contact Person: Lisa Elley
Email: Send Email
City: Monterey Bay
State: California
Country: United States
Website: https://www.lisaelley.com
