ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18th, the Frame Company will host an opening night gala for local artist/painter Elena Ballock and Florida–based artist/painter Charles Lee from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, kicking off a month–long exhibition of works by these locally and internationally–recognized artists.

Attendees will be treated to wine, music, and hors d’oeuvres while viewing many beautiful paintings in acrylic, oil, and watercolor media.

If you favor art that has a rich, vibrant sense of color, make sure you mark this event on your calendar! It is truly a “do not miss” exhibit!

Artist Biographies

Elena Ballock is a California artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating from Cal State Hayward, she became interested in visual art, admiring and collecting works by various artists. She especially appreciated the emotional responses and ideas that can be transferred from the artist to the viewer.

Her style ranges from impressionistic and traditional to a more contemporary feel. Having mastered the complex skills required for oil painting, her work is natural, intuitive, free form and flowing with color and texture. She works in both water color and oil, but prefers oil. Elena particularly enjoys the textures and colors that can be achieved with oil, allowing the viewer to experience depth and dimension in addition to color and composition.

Her primary interest lies in how color and light affects the world around us. She uses the vehicles of landscapes, urban settings and seascapes to explore these effects. She believes that art is a form of communication that should delight the eye and speak to the soul.

It gives the artist a chance to freeze an idea and send it on to others for their interpretation. It is her desire that viewers of her work come away with a new sense of emotion and intrigue.

“Art is as simple as a visual image striking the eye, but it becomes more when it touches the soul. In that moment it becomes a connection between people.”

Charles Lee was born in Korea in 1948. His mother introduced Charles to the arts and at an early age he demonstrated an incredible skill in many types of art, from pencil portraits to tranquil landscapes each with his own unique style.

His talents were recognized and noted, especially after winning the gold medal in an international competition in Seoul. After continuing his art education he was honored with his first one man show at the young age of 23. This was to be just the start of a prestigious art career of exhibiting and teaching.

In the early 1990’s, collectors in the United States were introduced to his work. These pieces quickly became sought after and were added to many collections. His most recent compositions are paintings with a raised richly–textured finish that utilize mixed media. They are a compelling combination of traditional and neo–classical styles. In the execution of his designs, Charles embraces oils, water colors and acrylics. He also has a penchant for a bright and eye catching palette (including gold foil.) that demonstrates his keen sense of color, yet in spite of such vibrant imagery he presents his subjects in a calm, reflective and almost ethereal way.