Italy keeps finding its way into my studio through warm earth tones, old villages, vineyards, coastal light and thick palette-knife texture. This post explores the inspiration behind my original Italian landscape paintings.

This new 36x48 California landscape painting was inspired by coastal wine country in autumn, with rich burgundy, rust, ochre and olive moving through the vines, with cool Pacific blue opening in the distance.

Every fall, the golden aspens of the Eastern Sierras find their way back into my studio. Autumn Through the Trees was inspired by those annual California trips, layered with cool mountain tones, autumn color and loose palette-knife texture.

More collectors are discovering that they don’t need to choose between galleries and artists. Recent Art Basel and UBS research shows a sharp increase in direct-from-artist purchasing, studio visits and commissions. After a long career spanning galleries, publishing, licensing, exhibitions and direct sales, I look at what is changing — and why collectors increasingly value a direct relationship with the person who made the work.

The right custom frame can completely transform how a painting feels in a room. Using my recent Hawaii commissions Carried by the Trade Winds and Hula at Sunset as examples, I’m sharing why proportion, craftsmanship, finish, and thoughtful material choices matter — and why a warm walnut floater frame can take a strong painting to another level.

A behind-the-scenes update on Carried by the Trade Winds and Hula at Sunset as the two Hawaii commissions move from framing into professional crating and transport. After months of painting, curing, and finishing, the work is now in the final stage of its journey to the collector.

Monterey Bay, Carmel, Pebble Beach and Big Sur continue to shape Lisa Elley’s palette-knife paintings. A look at the places, colors and coastal atmosphere behind the work.

Why the surface beneath a painting matters: a look at why I use Fredrix professional artist canvases for my large-scale palette-knife oil paintings and commissions.

A behind-the-scenes look at Carried by the Trade Winds and Hula at Sunset, and how meaningful places, personal references, and human presence can become narrative landscape commissions in expressive palette-knife oil.

A seasonal shift is already happening in the studio. This week, I’m returning to the golds, pale trunks, and quiet reflections of the Eastern Sierra, and to the kind of autumn light that always pulls me back to the easel.

A behind-the-scenes look at how a collector’s office, an initial Turnberry concept and a shared creative conversation led to an original painting inspired by Pebble Beach’s iconic seventh hole.In

New Zealand-born California artist Lisa Elley returns to the Kiwis in LA Art Show and Wine Tasting in Santa Monica this October, exhibiting a selection of original palette knife paintings.

Two recent redwood paintings have found their homes. A look behind The Stillness That Made Me and Light of the Forest, and the California forests, light, texture, and quiet moments that inspired them.

Not sure how a painting will look in your home? See how I help collectors visualize available original artwork at scale in their own space before making a decision.

Original artwork does more than decorate a room—it transforms how it feels. Discover why original paintings create warmth, personality, and lasting connection, and how custom room mock-ups make commissioning artwork simple and enjoyable.

Some of the greatest compliments aren’t awards or exhibitions—they’re the collectors who come back year after year. This week, one longtime collector shared photos of his home, beautifully filled with four of my paintings collected over the past decade. It was a reminder that art doesn’t just decorate a home; it becomes part of the memories made within it.

Palette knife paintings offer something photographs can never fully capture—rich texture, expressive movement, and a surface that changes beautifully as the light shifts throughout the day. Discover why this timeless painting technique continues to captivate collectors and bring extraordinary depth to contemporary interiors.