Artist in Central Florida, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach
The artist is Ed Lowe who is co-owner of KellGrace with his wife Cathy and daughter Kell. He has been painting sceneries since 1971. Back in the early days he did scenes for children as an inner-city Christian worker in Chicago. They were tempera medium on newsprint paper donated by the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.
Ed and his team would drive a mission van down to the loading docks and they would help him load up waste-end spools of paper. Most were 32 inches wide and the rolls were up to 12 inches thick. That’s a lot of paper, but a roll lasted a long time. He would also share the rolls with about ten or so fellow workers in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, Minneapolis, and a few other cities.
In the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s thousands of amazing large paintings, “32 x 48”, were given out to inner city kids to remind them of the Bible stories. Even Kell and her sister and brother helped her dad when they were kids. Often Ed would be disheartened when he would see one of his painting deteriorating on a child’s wall in a home. Newsprint paper is very thin and intended to be thrown out after you read the news. (Actually, in some cases the content as well.)
Finally in 2012 it occurred to Ed to make some paintings for KellGrace Salon. Because KellGrace was a start-up business at the time, he didn’t really get around to actually doing the paintings until 2016. This time around, the paintings would be done with acrylics on canvas or oakwood that LASTS! They are displayed and sold at KellGrace Salon, and often given as gifts to special people.
On Edplanet.com many of the paintings are displayed. In Ed’s studio there is an extra room he calls “The Hall of Shame,” for the paintings that suck and that he doesn’t like (It’s a large room.) But being frugal, the artist recycles and remakes many of these. Strange enough, some turn out to be favorites.
Also Ed is a story-Teller so he seizes the opportunity to write and share the inspiration behind certain creations. If it is a work done by Vincent van Gogh, he will acknowledge that fact and called it an “after van Gogh” piece.
This artist his builds own wood stretchers called MightyWood Stretchers, makes cedar frames called SimplyCedar, and customize cuts the canvas. Last year he was challenged to do a re-creation of Van Gogh’s 1888 “Landscape With Snow” because the First Lady likes it. Ed’s “after VvG” is posted on the homepage portfolio, fourth image shown, and framed in cedar.
Also we are starting a collection of FEATURE ARTICLES on artists, art genres, and art trends. Here is the first artist entry:
CONTACT INFO:
Email: ed@edplanet.com
Text: 407.267.6977
Phone: 386.873.7101
Address:
110 S. Park Ave, Winter Park, Florida 32789