Well It's Deliberate

Size:52 x 44 in.

Lee Ellis’s original painting Well it’s deliberate (47" x 39") is a striking and energetic work that encapsulates his bold, experimental approach to contemporary art. The composition captures a figure hunched over a piano, their body rendered in deep indigo tones with raw, textured brushwork that conveys both tension and intensity. The oversized hands stretch across stark black-and-white keys, suggesting a forceful connection between human energy and musical expression. Against this visceral depiction, Ellis introduces a vibrant clash of colour and pattern: the turquoise backdrop, sharp diagonal stripes, and the playful shock of orange polka dots across the figure’s clothing create a sense of rhythm and movement that amplifies the subject’s physicality.

This interplay between dark, weighty forms and irreverent bursts of colour is typical of Ellis’s practice. His work often explores angst, vulnerability and identity, but tempers this with wit, originality and a fearless use of contrasting palettes. Well it’s deliberate embodies his ability to transform human gesture into a vehicle for experimentation, with the figure acting less as portrait and more as a canvas for visual energy.

Based in Bristol, Ellis continues to push boundaries through his unique blend of abstraction, figuration and mixed media, producing contemporary artworks that are immediate, powerful and thought-provoking.