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An organic, evolving process

Contributed photo Mike Elsass with his paintings.

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By Pamela Dillon, Contributing Writer 7:22 PM Thursday, July 2, 2009

A rusted plate of steel is of no use to anyone, right? Not if your name is Mike Elsass.

For the past decade, the Dayton artist has been gathering up these eyesores and turning them into beautiful abstracts that are attracting the attention of gallery owners across the nation. Ultimately, the vibrant, energetic abstracts find their way into customers’ homes and offices. You can view 16 of his works at the Kettering Government Center.

The mostly self-taught artist got his start as a four-year studio assistant of nationally renowned artist Roger Sayre, who preferred steel to canvas. Elsass absorbed his mentor’s technique, and perfected his own variation with generous use of the color spectrum. Recently, he’s added more elements to the mix.

“My work is becoming much more textural. It’s more organic, with found materials like sand, steel shavings and pumice stone,” Elsass said.

He’s also experimenting with Duochrome paint from the state of Washington. The fishscale appearance catches and bounces light off the surface in different directions. Elsass also likes to use marble dust and a special tape from Japan called Nichiban. He’ll put on long pieces of tape and pull it off in a resist fashion, creating diverse geometric elements in his works.

“To me, it’s all about the process,” said Elsass.