Ellis Family Fine Arts Center receives first artwork donation

Submitted photo Area artist Steven Greenwall, has become the first to donate artwork to the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the Fort Scott Community College Campus. Above, Greenwall, left, discusses the painting he donated "Grass Shadows" as current FSCC art instructor Jeff Locke watches.

Area artist Steven Greenwall, donated his painting "Grass Shadows" to Fort Scott Community College on Tuesday, Nov. 24, in the Kathy Ellis Academic Hall of the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.

Greenwall's decision to donate a piece of art to FSCC was for many reasons, but most importantly was to honor his friend and former FSCC instructor, Gary D. Tebbets, who was choral professor of music at Allen County Community College when he died on Jan. 15, 2008.

Having his painting hung in the new Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center appealed to Greenwall.

"This is a gorgeous building and it will be a nice place to have a piece of artwork," Greenwall said.

Greenwall's art has been exhibited in several competitions in the United States and Japan. His works are displayed in several galleries across the United States.

Most of his work is done in landscape pastels, but he has done portraits and several other works. His art is a strong representation what he sees and feels. Though his work is representational, he uses abstraction for enhancement.

Greenwall was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from Brigham Young University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts Associate degree, majoring in Art Education.

Greenwall was an art teacher in public schools for 10 years. He is currently the art instructor at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kan., where he has been for more than 20 years.