Early Life, Family and Training

Homer E. Ellertson was born in 1892 in River Falls, Wisconsin, to parents of Norwegian descent. His technical foundation began in childhood, a period of early development that eventually led him to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. This formal education provided the necessary structure for a career that would eventually bridge the gap between commercial design and fine art.

The trajectory of his training shifted significantly in 1914 when he was awarded a scholarship to travel abroad. This opportunity allowed him to move beyond the classroom and engage directly with European traditions. He took instruction in Paris and spent time traveling through Spain, experiences that would later inform the perspective and spatial logic found in his mature works.

Career in Manhattan and Tryon

After completing his studies, Ellertson established himself within the commercial design sector of Manhattan. He found success working for a Manhattan establishment, where his output focused on the production of rugs, wallpapers, and textiles. This period of professional design provided a stable foundation before he pivoted toward a dedicated career in fine art. By 1920, he had moved away from the commercial demands of New York to join the burgeoning artists' colony in Tryon, North Carolina. He eventually settled in this mountain community, making it his primary place of residence and work.

His commitment to the Tryon landscape and his personal aesthetic led him to design and build El Taarn in 1923. This three-story mansion, featuring a polygonal tower and Tudor-style finishes, functioned as both his private home and his studio. Living and working in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains allowed him to move beyond his commercial roots. He remained a fixture of the Tryon art scene, producing a prolific body of work that reflected his shift from industrial design to serious painting and drawing.

Technique and Style

Ellertson was a versatile practitioner who refused to settle into a single medium or a predictable aesthetic. His output spanned painting and lithography, utilizing a wide range of materials including oil, watercolor, gouache, ink wash, and even batik. This technical breadth allowed him to move between the precision required for commercial textile design and the more fluid, experimental demands of fine art. He did not merely apply color; he manipulated it, often employing a deliberate distortion of both form and color to achieve his specific visual goals.

Modernism provided the primary framework for his development. Rather than adhering to conventional representation, he leaned into the avant-garde tendencies of the early twentieth century. His work frequently explores the tension in the relationship between people and their environment, a theme that manifests through varied perspectives and structural shifts. This focus on human placement within a landscape or setting suggests a preoccupation with how space is perceived rather than how it is strictly measured.

His experimentation extended into the tactile realm of textiles. In works like his batik pieces, he utilized the wax-resist method to create abstracted landscapes, proving his ability to translate painterly concepts into woven or dyed surfaces. This capacity to bridge the gap between decorative design and serious modernist painting defines his technical legacy.

Key Works and Notable Pieces

Ellertson’s output reflects a restless engagement with varied media, moving from the structural demands of textile design to the fluid nature of watercolor. His 1923 batik textile, created specifically for his El Taarn House, demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of abstraction through the use of hot wax and dye. This piece, which depicts an abstracted landscape including a house, a river, and the sun, remains a significant example of his ability to merge domestic architecture with modernist form. His oil painting, The Ebro, a landscape of Spain, provides a sharp contrast through its use of radical perspective and deconstruction.

The artist’s command of light and color is evident in his smaller-scale works. In Tropic Flora and White Cockatoo, he utilized gouache to achieve specific tonal effects. His watercolor works, such as Tropic Refuge and Blue Ridge Fiddler, show a continued interest in the relationship between people and their environments. Even in more intimate studies like the ink wash and watercolor Aged Creole, his technical precision remains evident. His Self-Portrait, a watercolor on paper, offers a direct look at the artist himself.

• The Ebro, oil
• Tropic Flora, gouache
• White Cockatoo, gouache
• Tropic Refuge, watercolor
• Blue Ridge Fiddler, watercolor
• Aged Creole, ink wash and watercolor

Where to See the Works Today

Ellertson’s presence in permanent collections remains concentrated in the American Southeast and within specific institutional holdings in Washington, DC. The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, maintains two of his oil paintings. His reach extends to the Asheville Art Museum, which holds a batik textile designed by the artist. This piece, originally intended for his residence, El Taarn, offers a rare look at his application of wax-resist dyeing techniques.

In South Carolina, his work is visible at The Dean House in Spartanburg. The Johnson Collection also maintains works by the artist. For those examining his early period or his interest in European subjects, several pieces are distributed across regional libraries and centers. The Lanier Library holds two Modernist depictions of Paris, while the Fine Arts Center contains two of his early works from the Tryon period.

• The Ebro, oil, The Phillips Collection
• Batik textile, Asheville Art Museum
• Modernist pictures of Paris, Lanier Library
• Early Tryon works, Fine Arts Center