Elwood Howell

"Trees, " Abstract Landscape Painting

c. 2000

Elwood Howell is a celebrated painter of abstract landscapes. Born in 1933, in Perkin, Illinois, Howell studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and the University of Illinois. For more than 50 years, he has been having a conversation with paint.

Howell elaborates, "When approaching my work, only a vague idea is in mind of what is to take place on the canvas or paper.” With this openness to explore the possibilities without agenda, Howell creates thought-provoking, dream-like landscapes and seascapes that transport the viewer to familiar yet otherworldly places. He composes these scenes almost exclusively from imagined visions in the studio, using acrylic, oil and watercolor on canvas, linen, paper and wood. Still, he must draw some inspiration from the scenery of East Hampton, New York, where he has lived and worked since 1974.

Through most of his oeuvre, Howel has utilized a high horizon line, a format he adopted 40 years ago and is still fascinated by today. The higher focal point forms a large foreground that the viewer can contemplate, explore and move about freely as if they were experiencing the expanse physically. In the space above the horizon line, an atmosphere is created that gives the impression that there is more to see, just out of view. 

Howell’s work is in the collections of the Illinois State Museum, Emanuel De Margerie (former director of the Louvre), Citibank New York, Reader’s Digest New York, 7Up and AT&T. Some of his many honors include the Merit and Purchase Award, Springfield Old Capitol Art Exhibit in 1971, the Award of Excellence from Heckscher Museum in 1975 and an honorable mention from Guild Hall in 2003.

On 1stDibs, find a selection of Elwood Howell landscape paintings, abstract paintings and prints.