Ella Alluisi
Ella Alluisi (Houston, TX. 1912 – 1996)
The Photographers by Ella Alluisi, 1942, Tempera on Panel, 14-1/2 x 20
Tiburon Dock by Ella Alluisi, Tempera on Paper, 10 x 7
Ella Wharton Alluisi was born in Houston, Texas on December 3, 1912. She began her education at Briarcliff, Smith College, and received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley in 1933. She spent 1934-37 in Paris as a pupil of Sonia Delaunay. After returning to California, she married Jean Alluisi and lived in Point Richmond and on the Sonoma coast before settling in Santa Cruz in 1953. Alluisi remained in Santa Cruz as an active artist until her death on January 4, 1996.
Alluisi won the Gerstle award in 1950, as well as the San Francisco Society of Women Artists: Purchase Prize in 1956 and Honorable Mentions in 1948 and 1952. Alluisi is known for her modernist painting with oil, tempera, gouache, and acrylic, as well as her equally adept sculptures and collage work. She often painted whimsical still lives with fantastic animals and imaginary creatures in outlandish colors.
Alluisi creates “a childhood fantasy world where animals look like humans and humans can assume unearthly forms. Her artistic goal was to depict the “one-ness of spirit” which she believes dwells within all living things. This harmony is especially reflected in her bold palette of subtonal changes.” – Jan Holloway Gallery