
Duane Eells, an L.A. born representational artist, paints portraits, figures and landscapes.
His mother, an oil painter, exposed him to the fine arts early, and enrolled him in painting and drawing classes at the age of 10. Eells studied art and design at California State University Northridge, Humboldt State University and Ventura College, as well as at a number of workshops throughout Southern California.
Eells spent many years in the study of academic drawing and painting in the classical tradition, and recently in contemporary art styles. He merges these disparate styles into his paintings which are a blending of representation and abstraction.
In his portraits, Eells captures the essence and emotion of those he paints. He uses bold and aggressive strokes that are tempered with an adherence to traditional drawing principles. His landscapes lean more towards abstraction than realism. He aims to capture the life and energy of the land he paints.
Eells works out of his studio in Ojai California.

Fast Faces
I’ve been challenging myself with ‘speed’ painting as an exercise to improve my drawing skills, explore color pallets and experiment with a variety of techniques. About a month ago I began painting portraits with a time limit of 3 hours. Most of them are about 2...

Animals Are Great
This is a portrait of Sacagawea. I love painting our animal friends. They are the best. Never has an animal I've painted questioned the composition, color, or even likeness of their portrait. Every animal friend I’ve painted has loved their portrait and some have been...

Duane Eells and James Petrucci Presents “Boundless” at Fox Fine Jewelry Gallery
“Boundless” Art Reception March 14, 6 – 8 pm Show dates March 12 – May 10 Fox Fine Jewelry presents Boundless, an art show with Duane Eells and James Petrucci from March 12 to May 10, with an Art Reception on March 14 from 6 – 8 pm. Duane Eells started growing his...

Duane Eells Wins First Place at BAA 34th Annual Open Competition
Duane Eells annouced that his painting “Tango Dancer” took first place at the Buenaventura Art Association 33rd Annual Open Competition, juried by Aaron Westerberg. “Tango Dancer” was just one of three paintings that were accepted into the competition that...

DANCE – OJAI – THIS WEEKEND. OPENING JULY 6
DANCE -Solo Exhibition of Ojai Artist Duane Eells Opens July 6July 6, 5-7 pm, Duane Eells will open his first solo exhibition at the Ojai Art Center Gallery in Ojai, California. Special dance performances at 6pm. This exhibition of oil paintings,...

Duane Eells Solo Exhibit at Ojai Art Center
Duane Eells will open his first solo exhibition at the Ojai Art Center Gallery in Ojai, California on July 6. This exhibition of oil paintings, titled DANCE, features a new body of work. This series is a part of Eells’ search for beauty and the sublime through...

Ojai Quarterly Redesign Features Many Ojai Studio Artists
I recently had the honor of being named Creative Director of our beloved local magazine, Ojai Quarterly. After a just a couple of issues, editor Bret Bradigan bravely put me up to the challenge of a re-design. I want to share with you some highlights from the...
Egghead
egg•head noun a person who is highly academic or studious; an intellectual. Last year as I toured the Ojai Valley Inn admiring the dozen OSA-member-designed giant eggs, I wondered what I would come up with if I were ever given an egg of my own. Since I only do...

Duane Eells Open Studio on Feb. 9
The OSA Second Saturday Free Tours begin on February 9. I will reveal the first completed paintings of my new body of work, DANCE.