UNTITLED 003

Untitled 003, 2025

12 x 12 in

Acrylic on primed canvas

This original piece is rooted in Ellis’s deep appreciation for abstract minimalism and modern primitivism; two styles that allow for emotion to be expressed through pure shape, color, and imperfection. A dark green envelops the canvas, chosen for its symbolic ties to renewal, stability, and inner peace. It’s a color Ellis personally finds calming, something he hopes the viewer can feel, too.

Soft tan Batok motifs are layered across the surface, drawn from traditional Filipino symbolism. These hand-rendered marks represent protection, strength, and family, core values that Ellis continually returns to in both life and art. The contrast between the organic, freeform lines and the symbolic precision of the Batok speaks to the tension between chaos and order, emotion and identity.

This piece was created alongside a complementary dark brown work, forming a quiet visual dialogue between warmth and stillness. Both are painted using heavy-bodied acrylic on a primed canvas, giving them texture, weight, and a sense of permanence.

For Ellis, abstract art is not about perfection, it’s about feeling. And this work is an invitation to feel deeply, reflect quietly, and reconnect with what grounds us.