The Old Melting Pots, oil on linen, 20" x 24".

Ellen Buselli

B.F.A. '74

The Old Melting Pots, oil on linen, 20" x 24".

The Art of Seeing

Award-winning artist Ellen Buselli (B.F.A. '74) is best known for realistic still-life and floral paintings that showcase her mastery of chiaroscuro, values, color, edges, and other painting techniques. "Painting is about observation and seeing. It is a lifetime pursuit," she says. Buselli also paints plein-air landscapes (outdoor, on location), interiors, the figure, portraits, and pet portraits. Regardless of the subject, every painting starts with careful observation and deliberate decisions about how best to articulate what she is seeing.  

"Painting from life is the ultimate challenge and always captivating because the painter is dealing with many concepts all at once light and shadow, values, color and temperature of color, edges, atmosphere, quality of paint, brushstrokes, and composition," she says. "When all is carefully observed and applied, the look of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface appears like magic."

An older woman with long gray hair, wearing glasses with round tortoise shell frames, smiles at the camera.

Ellen Buselli.

The only exception Buselli makes and uses photographic reference for is pet portraits. Years of painting from life make these paintings doable. Her pet portraits have expressed the power of art and have given solace and comfort to those who have lost their beloved pets.  

Her work is frequently featured in juried exhibitions and has earned her considerable recognition. The Art Renewal Center, an organization dedicated to representational art, has featured many of her paintings as finalists, and her The Old Melting Pots was part of the prestigious ARC Salon Traveling Exhibition shown at Sotheby's and the European Museum of Modern Art, (MEAM) Barcelona, Spain. The Oil Painters of America has honored Buselli with the Best Still Life Award for Sunlit, the Winsor & Newton Award of Excellence for Peonies, and the Jack Richeson Silver Brush Award for Southwest Travels. Sunlit also received the Artists Magazine Cover Award, as did the Classical Light cover with American Artist Magazine

Buselli has also won the grand prize in American Women Artists' exhibition Breaking Through: The Rise of Women Artists for her painting Woman in Turban, first place in American Artist Magazine's 70th Anniversary competition for Hyacinth & The McCoy Pot, Best in Show in American Women Artists' fifth annual exhibition for Study of a Rose, and Best Floral for David Austen Rose Medley and Best Building for The Brooklyn Bridge from PleinAir Magazine.  

The Old Melting Pots described as a "tour de force" was a highlight in the recent Salmagundi Club exhibition, Inanimate Musings: Premium Still-Life from the Collection. Founded in 1871 by artists and patrons, the New York City nonprofit club is one of the oldest arts organizations in the U.S. Past presidents and members have been Thomas Moran, Emil Carlsen, George Inness, Jr., William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, N.C Wyeth, and other illustrious traditional painters. 

Buselli's paintings reflect her longstanding appreciation of realism and classicism. She finds inspiration in the works of Johannes Vermeer, Emil Carlsen, John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, William Merritt Chase, Mary Cassatt, Rosa Bonheur, Cecilia Beaux, Willard Metcalf, Isaac Levitan, Ilya Repin, Georgio Morandi, and others. 

Buselli selected Cornell for study because of its diverse art department, scholarly art history program, and Cornell's Hubert F. Johnson Museum of Art. 

Oil on linen painting of the side profile of a woman wearing a yellow turban.

Woman in Turban, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Oil on linen painting of sunflowers in a clear vase next to a pear on a wooden table.

Sunlit, oil on linen, 18" x 15".

While at Cornell, Buselli's professors included John E. "Jack" Bosson, Jr. (M.F.A. '66) and visiting critic Friedel Dzubas, a well-known abstract color field painter. Although her professors were focused on abstract and contemporary painting, which did not interest her, the exposure to their art forms and the modern art scene was enlightening.

"They were educated professional artists who knew how to nurture someone's passion and get me thinking about things in a way I never had before," she says. In addition, scholarly art history courses fostered a deeper appreciation and understanding of American, Asian, African, and European cultures. Perhaps most memorable, a semester at the Tyler School of Art in Rome provided her the opportunity to see in person the works of many of the old great masters such as Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael, Bernini, and others.  

After graduation from Cornell, Buselli moved to New York City, sought out painters she admired, and took classes at the Art Students League. She also always maintained a dedicated painting studio with north light the preferred light source for traditional painters because of the consistent indirect light, creating shadows that remain the same all day and do not shift. 

Among her gifts is the ability to see and showcase the beauty of imperfection. She collects antique vases, old Roman glass, pueblo pottery, and other artifacts as subject matter for her still-life paintings, capturing distressed textures and weathered surfaces that give a sense of timelessness.  

Currently, Buselli is more focused on plein-air painting. Her favorite outdoor locations include "old New York" settings such as the Conservatory Water in Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and, for a change of pace, New Mexico landscapes. 

"I like the contrast between East Coast city life and the big blue skies and open vistas of the West," she says. Buselli welcomes the challenge of plein-air painting, which is "very different from studio painting. When painting plein-air, one has to edit and make decisions very quickly because the weather and light are constantly changing," she says. 

In all situations, studio painting or plein-air painting, "I paint what I see from life. That is the starting point," Buselli says. 

Website: ellenbuselli.com
Instagram: @ellen_buselli

Projects


Still Life

Still life painting of a black vase set in the center, surrounded by smaller vases and bowls.

Blackware, oil on linen, 18" x 20".

Blackware

Painting of a white and blue vase with pink flowers surrounded by fruit on top of a table.

Classical Light, oil on linen, 20" x 21".

Classical Light

Oil on linen still life painting of a large black pot surrounded by smaller dishes, a bulb of garlic, and an onion with an overgrown stem.

The Old Melting Pots (2018), oil on linen mounted on board, 20" x 24".

The Old Melting Pots

A still life display consisting of a bulb of garlic and an onion in a copper pan, a white pitcher, a small black pot, and a copper cooking pot, with stray garlic and onion peels, on a table.

Copper Light, oil on linen, 12" x 16".

Copper Light

Painting of a wedge of cheese, a cooking pot, and two bulbs of garlic set on a wooden table.

Garlic & Parmesan, oil on linen, 9" x 12".

Garlic & Parmesan

A still life painting of a copper tea kettle, a pitcher, a large jug, a whole muffin, cut oranges, a partially cut stick of butter, and a muffin cut in half, set on a wooden cutting board.

Le Matin, oil on linen, 20" x 24".

Le Matin

A tan bowl with an abstract line drawing of a lizard sits at the center of a painted still life display containing bowls and small red chili peppers.

Jemez Lizard, oil on linen, 18" x 15".

Jemez Lizard

Southwestern vases sit at the center of a still life painting, surrounded by flower stems, some stray leaves, and other small bowls.

Southwest Travels, oil on linen, 15" x 18".

Southwest Travels

A large iron kettle surrounded by a smaller iron pot, an onion, a bulb of garlic, and two bottles of water on a wooden table top.

Iron and Glass, oil on linen, 20" x 21". 

Iron and Glass


Floral

Oil on linen painting of white, yellow, and pink roses in a clear jar.

David Austen Roses, oil on linen, 15" x 16".

David Austen Roses

Oil on linen painting of pink hyacinth flowers in a dark pot on top of a wooden table.

Hyacinth & The McCoy Pot, oil on linen, 12" x 16".

Hyacinth & The McCoy Pot

Oil on linen painting of pink and white peonies in a clear jar.

Peonies, oil on linen, 8" x 10".

Peonies

Oil on linen painting of a white rose in a blue vase.

Study of a Rose, oil on linen, 16" x 15".

Study of a Rose

Oil on linen painting of sunflowers in a clear vase next to a pear on a wooden table.

Sunlit, oil on linen, 18" x 15".

Sunlit


Figure & Portraits

Oil on linen painting of a nude woman sitting in a chair, looking away from the viewer.

Glancing Away, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Glancing Away

Oil on linen painting of a shirtless older man with a long beard, in a three-quarter profile view.

Man with Beard, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Man with Beard

Oil on linen painting of a young woman with long, braided hair, staring off into the distance.

Portrait of a Young Girl, oil on linen, 12" x 9".

Portrait of a Young Girl

Oil on linen painting of the side profile of a young man.

Portrait of a Young Man, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Portrait of a Young Man

Oil on linen painting of a nude woman with a black robe draped over her arms.

The Black Robe, oil on linen, 16" x 12".

The Black Robe

Oil on linen painting of the side profile of a woman wearing a yellow turban.

Woman in Turban, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Woman in Turban


Plein-Air Landscapes

Painting of large, overgrown green bushes surrounding an entry to a tan, Southwestern-style building.

Overgrown Entranceway, oil on linen, 10" x 12", Couse-Sharpe Compound, Taos, New Mexico.

Overgrown Entranceway

Painting of a cactus garden.

Cactus Garden, oil on linen.

Cactus Garden

Painting of a mountainous desert scene.

Chimney Rock, oil on linen, 10" x 12".

Chimney Rock

Painting of  a rocky desert scene.

Morning Light at Ghost Ranch (2022), oil on linen, 10" x 12", New Mexico.

Morning Light at Ghost Ranch

Abstract painting of an street surrounded by tall buildings at night.

Broadway at Midnight, oil on linen, 12" x 9", New York City.

Broadway at Midnight

Tan-toned painting of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge, oil on linen, 9" x 12", New York City.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Painting of a pond reflecting the surrounding green trees.

View at the Boat Pond, oil on linen, 8" x 10", Central Park, New York City.

View at the Boat Pond


Pet Portraits

Oil on linen painting of a white terrier dog viewed in three-quarters profile.

Calvin, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Calvin

Oil on linen painting of a white terrier dog facing the viewer.

In Memory of Calvin, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

In Memory of Calvin

Oil on linen painting of a German Shepherd dog.

Molly, oil on linen, 12" x 19".

Molly

Oil on linen painting of a small tan and white dog.

Lily, oil on linen, 12" x 10".

Lily


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