Ellis Price
Photographer and Woodcarver

Ellis Price was born and raised in New York City.  Having distinguished himself as a high school basketball player, various scholarships led him away from
New York to Iowa, and, eventually, to Hawaii.

While attending the University of Hawaii, Ellis majored in photography and ceramics, and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts.

Ellis' first love is portraiture.  He has turned this love and its tendency to get "close up" on life to landscapes and people in photography and to masks and sculpture in woodworking.

The marriage of photography and woodcarving may seem odd to some...For Ellis, they are united in portraiture.  They both offer the artist opportunities to present use of time and environment.  When traveling, for example, Ellis always carries his camera and an eye for the "decisive moment" and stops to shoot whatever captures his fancy.  While at home in the hills of Pupukea, Hawaii, on the other hand, wood and chain saw become the "tools of trade",along with the electronic darkroom that he has created.

In both woodworking and photography Ellis' intent is to bring to the surface what lies within.  His sculptures and masks preserve the roundness of the tree trunk and the wood's natural grain.  So, too, in photography, Ellis prefers to present the image as seen by the artist through the lens with minimal digital alteration or none at all.

Perhaps you could say that Ellis Price is "old school", for as both woodcarver and photographer, he prefers to stick with that which is simple, basic, and natural.  If you would meet him, you'd understand, for "hard core" is what he exudes, along with a certain quietness, grace, and elegance. It is these qualities that Ellis, the artist, hopes you will also see in his work. "What you see is what you get" is this theme in life as well as art.  Hope you like what you see!