Artist leaves legacy of light and vision

This editorial appears in the Yakima Herald-Republic on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008.

Afer a life of creating art, Richard "Dick" Elliott died Nov. 19 at age 63, ending a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He and his wife, artist Jane Orleman, were well known for their quirky home on Pearl Street, near the Ellensburg police station. Over the years, they had turned a dilapidated house into a home that was essentially an open air art gallery, showcasing an eclectic hodgepodge of work by some 40 artists.

But Yakima residents don't have to drive to Ellensburg to see Elliott's art. Since 1992, his bold "Circle of Light," has brightened the SunDome. Its 48,480 3-inch reflectors are glued directly to the dome, in patterns inspired by Yakama weaving. Elliott's art also graces buildings from Seattle to Denver to New York City.

This past year, a piece in Seattle, "The Sound of Light," was named one of 45 of the best public art works in the United States by Americans for the Arts. He also won Washington's 2007 Governor's Arts and Heritage Award.

While his art was abstract, it was also approachable, bringing a modern medium to play in ancient patterns he found in the world around him.

He will be missed in the art world and in his circle of friends and admirers. But his bright vision will live on in his creations.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.

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