A third-generation artist, Josh Elliott was born in Great Falls, Montana, and raised to appreciate art. His grandfather studied with Grant Wood and dabbled in all sorts of artistic pursuits. His father, wildlife artist Steve Elliott, gave up a successful career as an emergency room doctor to become a full-time artist. While his father taught and encouraged him, Elliott learned the importance of painting from life and discovered his passion for painting outdoors.
Elliott sees his outdoor paintings as a reaction to what is in front of him, and feels they act as an exercise to sharpen his skills. He considers his studio paintings to be a culmination of everything he has learned from painting outdoors, combined with his own artistic interpretation. He believes that we were made to appreciate beauty, and feels his work is a celebration of beauty and truth. Although being true to reality is important to Elliott, he aims for creating “art”; something interpretive, something more than a good rendering, something of himself. “A good painting, to me, is nature’s truth filtered through the artist,” he says.
Though Elliott lived out of state for some time, he always felt a deep connection with Montana’s landscape and people. He now lives with his wife and two daughters in Helena, Montana.
