Up North Studio

Up North Studio Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Up North Studio, Visual Arts, Duluth, MN.

Painting with a bold palette and expressive brushstrokes, I create oil paintings that celebrate the beauty of landscapes in Minnesota, the Apostle Islands, Alaska, the American West, and rural America.

I am excited to be partnering with Mary Stafford for this wonderful opportunity!
05/30/2026

I am excited to be partnering with Mary Stafford for this wonderful opportunity!

📰 STUDIO UPDATE: INTRODUCING THE UP NORTH PORTFOLIO ✨​For the past couple of years, my newsletter has been a wonderful w...
05/20/2026

📰 STUDIO UPDATE: INTRODUCING THE UP NORTH PORTFOLIO ✨

​For the past couple of years, my newsletter has been a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends, collectors, and fellow artists who share a deep love for the North Shore. To make sure I am delivering the highest quality content possible without taking too much critical time away from the easel, I am making an exciting shift.

​Moving forward, the newsletter is transitioning to a bi-monthly schedule (arriving in your inbox once every two months). Along with this new rhythm comes a complete redesign.

​Welcome to The Up North Portfolio.

​Each bi-monthly issue will act as a focused digital gallery dispatch straight from my studio in Duluth, featuring three dedicated articles:
​🌲 OFF THE EASEL: A deep-dive look into a single, recently completed alla prima original painting, focusing on the specific North Shore landscape that inspired it.
​🎨 THE ARTIST’S EYE: A quick, behind-the-scenes look at the unexpected discoveries, studio processes, and palette knife work that happen at the canvas.
​🏛️ PRESERVING HISTORY: A revolving series dedicated to regional history, unique material use, and the stories behind the art—such as our upcoming look at sourcing rare, reclaimed timber from the 2018 Globe Elevator fire for custom frames.

​The goal of The Portfolio remains exactly the same: to document, share, and preserve the rugged, natural beauty of Northern Minnesota.

​(Note: If you are already a newsletter subscriber, you are all set! You don't need to do a thing—the new format will arrive automatically in your inbox.)

​If you aren't already on the list, you can sign up for the newsletter today on my website. By subscribing, you will automatically secure your spot in the Collector's Circle and instantly receive a complimentary download of the JEFA Insider's Guide to Collecting Fine Art as a thank-you benefit.

​Thank you all for your continued support of my work and regional art!

​👇 Link to subscribe is in the comments below!

"The North Shore is my muse, and the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery is one of its most legendary art spaces. I am so ...
05/01/2026

"The North Shore is my muse, and the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery is one of its most legendary art spaces. I am so humbled to be their Artist of the Month for May! Thank you to the gallery and all who continue to support my journey. If you’re in Grand Marais, I’d love for you to spend some time with these pieces and see the shore through my eyes."

jamesellisfineart.com

"Hidden Cascade" (2026)11" x 14", Oil on Canvas The water reaches the cliff’s edge, the quiet of the woods is surrendere...
04/30/2026

"Hidden Cascade" (2026)
11" x 14", Oil on Canvas

The water reaches the cliff’s edge, the quiet of the woods is surrendered. There is no violence in the meeting, only a profound and rhythmic alchemy. The stream strikes the dark stone and shatters into a million silver fragments, a transient, rushing ghost of light caught against the immovable black rock.
It is a conversation held in the language of spray and stone. The rock demands to be, and the water demands to move. In that fleeting, misty collision, the forest holds its breath, witnessing the only thing that ever truly changes in this rugged country: the endless, beautiful work of the water, tirelessly carving its own reflection into the heart of the ancient ground.

A Limited Edition Print from the Up North Studio "Minnesota North Shore Collection". Prints are signed and numbered with a limited edition run of 50 prints and include a Certificate of Authenticity.

jamesellisfineart.com

The Life of a Painting: Hidden Cascade 🎨Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to start over.There’s a common myth t...
04/30/2026

The Life of a Painting: Hidden Cascade 🎨

Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to start over.
There’s a common myth that an artist sits down, picks up a brush, and a finished piece flows out exactly as planned. I’m here to tell you: that is rarely the case. I wanted to share the behind-the-scenes evolution of my latest oil painting, Hidden Cascade. It was a journey of four very different lives:

Step 1: The Foundation. It started with an idea of a sun-drenched path or creek through the evergreens. Warm, predictable, and safe.

Step 2: The Pivot. I decided to shift the season to winter. I pushed the paint around, added heavy snow to the trees, and tried to find the "chill." But something felt off—the soul of the piece was missing.

Step 3: The Scrape. This is the moment most people don't see. I wasn’t happy, so I took my palette knife and scraped the canvas back down to its bones.

Step 4: The Discovery. What was left behind weren't just "mistakes"—they were "ghosts." Those remaining shadows and stained shapes provided a roadmap I couldn’t have planned. They led me to the final work you see here.

By letting go of my original "plan," I found the movement and light that Hidden Cascade actually needed. 🌲💦

Which stage is your favorite to see? Let me know in the comments!

jamesellisfineart.com

✨ NEW FOR 2026! ✨I’m thrilled to announce that my 2026 Collection has officially arrived. Whether you're getting lost in...
04/22/2026

✨ NEW FOR 2026! ✨

I’m thrilled to announce that my 2026 Collection has officially arrived. Whether you're getting lost in a good book or sending a handwritten note to a friend, you can now carry a piece of the North Shore with you. 🌲🌊

📖 Artist Bookmark Series

Elevate your reading experience with four new designs:
❄️ Etched in White
✨ Golden Silence
🍂 Tapestry
🌿 Respite

✉️ Artist Note Cards

New imagery for heartfelt connections:
⚓ Vanguards & The Mainmast
🛶 Chik-Wauk Trapper
☀️ Golden Silence
💎 Hidden Cascade
❄️ Etched in White

📍 SHOP LOCAL:
Support your local arts scene! You can find the new collection at these wonderful locations:

🔹 Duluth: Olde Towne Galleries , Duluth Studio Market , & Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace
🔹 Grand Marais: Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery
🔹 St. Louis Park: Canvas Convergence St. Louis Park

🌐 SHOP ONLINE:

Can’t make it to the gallery? Browse and shop the full collection from home:
👉 jamesellisfineart.com

🌿 The North Shore is Breathing Again 🌊There is a specific stillness that finds its way into the boreal forest this time ...
04/17/2026

🌿 The North Shore is Breathing Again 🌊

There is a specific stillness that finds its way into the boreal forest this time of year—the rush of a hidden waterfall over ancient rock, the quiet stance of pines on a lonely island, and the sudden, vibrant bloom of wildflowers tucked among the Aspen and Birches.

These moments from across our landscape are now available at several local galleries. If you’re out exploring the shore or grabbing a coffee in town, stop in to see them in person.

Find My Art Locally:

📍 Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace (Duluth)
📍 Olde Towne Galleries (Duluth)
📍 Duluth Studio Market (Duluth)
📍 Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery (Grand Marais)
📍 Canvas Convergence St. Louis Park

Whether you’re a local or just passing through on a summer road trip, stop by and support these fantastic small businesses!



jamesellisfineart.com

"Emergence" (2026)16" x 20", Oil on GessobordA profound silence hangs at the edge of the thaw, the moment when the world...
04/01/2026

"Emergence" (2026)
16" x 20", Oil on Gessobord

A profound silence hangs at the edge of the thaw, the moment when the world holds its breath. The iron-grip of winter finally yields, releasing the heavy, sculpted layers of frost into the pull of the earth. A silver current finds its voice again, flowing toward a sky no longer closed, but luminous and expectant. Pale ghosts rise through the morning haze, delicate limbs reaching into the mist to witness the coming light. It is that breathless second when the stillness of ice transforms into the movement of life.

"The first trickles of the thaw are the earth’s first words after a long silence." — Henry David Thoreau

A Limited Edition Print from the Up North Studio "Minnesota North Shore Collection". Prints are signed and numbered with a limited edition run of 50 prints and include a Certificate of Authenticity.

jamesellisfineart.com

Please join me and over thirty North Shore Artists for this annual event!!!jamesellisfineart.com
04/01/2026

Please join me and over thirty North Shore Artists for this annual event!!!

jamesellisfineart.com

You still have plenty of time to visit the "Northwood Shores: From Birch Grove to Great Lake " exhibition at Karpeles Ma...
03/02/2026

You still have plenty of time to visit the "Northwood Shores: From Birch Grove to Great Lake " exhibition at Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum - Duluth, MN. The exhibition will end on March 28th.

jamesellisfineart.com

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Duluth, MN
55804

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