"I have always had a interest in light and how it is affected by atmosphere. I think that is one of the main reasons I started painting landscapes. Unlike the traditional impressionist painter who also shares these same interests, my own involvement is less with the observational and scientific and more with the emotive and sensual. I would like the observer to 'feel' what the space is all about. My interest in landscape is really in the space itself. I don't deal with the things in the space except in a very primal way. The elements of earth, water, light and atmospheres are the ingredients in a natural drama that is continually playing itself out."

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Willoughby Elliott received his BFA from Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts) and his MFA from RISD. In 1967 he began his teaching career at SMTI, which is now the CVPA of University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. He retired Chancellor Professor Emeritus in 2011.