Ahoy!
My name is Ella. I hail from the garden state, New Jersey; this means that I love leopard print...in moderation, of course. Both my parents are artists, and I was encouraged from a very young age to draw. I continued my pursuits throughout college and graduated with a BA in Fine Art. I left the tri-state area in 2004 and relocated to Phoenix, mostly because I didn't want to shovel snow. Then I realized how much I missed trees and moved to Austin in 2007. When I arrived in Austin, I felt as though I should have been here my whole life.
I love to work on portraits and the challenge of figure drawing. I am fascinated by anatomy and how the human body works, especially when pushed to the extremes of flexibility and contortion. My style is graphic; I utilize bold lines and heavy contrast.
I draw inspiration from music. Song lyrics, in their context and delivery, get stuck in my head, haunt me throughout the day, and my artwork is the way to get them out. My other source of inspiration is people. It never ceases to amaze me to hear someone's story, how they got to where they are. It's a reminder to be grateful for your suffering, as it helps you understand others.
The most important value to me is sincerity. It's all encompassing - understanding who you are and staying true to that, while giving others the same respect. I loathe all things pretentious and contrived. One of my favorite quotes is from Oscar Wilde, "Life is far too important to be taken too seriously." Humor softens life and sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.
When I'm not working on artwork, I enjoy long happy hours with friends, quoting Star Wars, rooting for the Mets, and dressing up like a dude for skee-ball team photos.
My portfolio can be found here.
