For as long as she can remember, Ilana Ellis grew up knowing she wanted to be an artist. And the Haddonfield resident said she can remember as far back as 2 years old.
“It’s something I have known about myself, the same way I have always known my own hair color,” Ellis said.
Through Nov. 2, Markeim Arts Center is hosting an exhibition of Ellis’ work. Featured are her oil paintings, which include still life and portraits.
Ellis’ biggest supporter was her mother. She encouraged her to follow her dream, but she never lied about how difficult it would be to live as an artist.
“She’s been a huge support and advocate. I’ve also been lucky enough to have amazing friends and teachers,” Ellis said.
Since graduating high school, Ellis went to Williams College in Massachusetts where she earned her degree in studio art to help nurture her art skills as well as her love for art. This year, before graduating, Ellis won the 2014 Frederick M. Peyser Prize in Painting at her school.
“The Fredrick M. Peyser Prize is given yearly to the best painting in my school, Williams College. It is a huge honor to get it, and it meant a lot to me to receive the award,” Ellis said.
Ellis has also had her work “Portraits of Friendship” appear in Cleaver Magazine. Cleaver Magazine features artists’ essays and artwork, so Ellis wrote the essay that accompanied her art work in the magazine herself. The oil paintings are portraits of herself as well as her friends. She wanted to fuel her two passions of gaining great skills in painting and painting life, so she chose to focus on the current relationships in her life for those paintings.
Now, Ellis has her oil paintings featured in an exhibit at the Markeim Arts Center.
“It’s such an honor having my work shown, and working with both Cleaver Magazine and the Markeim Arts Center have been such lovely experiences. The Markeim Arts Center is such a gem, I’m really proud to have my pieces displayed there. And I really love all the artists’ essays in Cleaver Magazine, so I was thrilled when I got to write one myself,” Ellis said.
Although Ellis feels like she is just starting to find her way into the industry, having an award, being featured in a magazine and having an exhibition is nothing to sneeze at. Ellis hopes to continue her education and be featured even more.
“I’m working toward getting advanced training so that I can tackle large-scale figurative works. Hopefully, you’ll see my work getting more ambitious and complex, and I would also like my skill as an artist to increase with every year. I don’t want to be the same person in five years as I am now — I want to continually grow and challenge myself. And, of course, I hope to be in many new exhibitions and produce many new pieces,” Ellis said.
The exhibit featuring Ellis’ art will be on display until Nov. 2 at the Markeim Art Center. To find more of Ellis’ art, go to her website ilanaellis.com or her Facebook page Ilana Ellis Art. She is also selling her work and taking commissions. You can also buy prints and postcards of her work at fineartamerica.com/profiles/ ilana-ellis.html. Ellis started a gofuneme campaign to help fund her art education in September that she is going to try to revive. Click here to support Send Ilana to Florence Academy by Ilana Ellis Art .
