Radical Acceptance is a collection of cold-wax paintings by Ella Watson. Using her signature cold wax and reductive processes, Watson slathers her canvases in thick, frosting-like layers of wax mixed with oil paint, creating surfaces lush with texture and depth. History and the passage of time are implied as she gouges into the layers to reveal a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns beneath.

In psychology, Radical Acceptance is the practice of embracing reality as it is, without trying to control or deny it, in the hope of ending suffering. As a liver transplant recipient with chronic conditions, Watson has adopted this Buddhist-inspired skill into her psyche and her painting practice. Whether it is a hidden pattern or color that is revealed as she shaves away layers of material, or a fossilized mark that has solidified in the wax, Watson's process always uncovers the substrates (or the past) of her paintings.  Watson grapples with these older colors, patterns, or marks while trying to breathe new life into the work. In the end, a painting is never complete, but rather finds a moment of rest. With paintings up to 10 layers thick, Watson reminds the viewer that in the search for a healthy future, one must find some peace with the past, grounded in honesty and respect.

Ella Watson was born in 1983 with a liver disease called Biliary Atresia. Orphaned by age 10, she was raised by her brother and two sisters. In 2006, she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with honors, with dual degrees in Sculpture & Extended Media and Painting & Printmaking.  At age 24, her childhood disease resurfaced, and in June 2009, Watson's sister, Jen, donated half of her liver, saving Watson's life.

Watson has lived in Bozeman, MT, with her husband and son since 2012. She has shown nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions in Brooklyn, NY; Richmond, VA; and throughout Montana, at the Holter Museum in Helena, the Emerson in Bozeman, the Clark Chateau in Butte, and the Paris Gibson in Great Falls. Her affordable art pieces can be purchased at Two Trick Pony in Downtown Bozeman.