Deborah Ellis effortlessly manipulates watercolor in her striking renditions of nature. Realistically rendered, her paintings impart an atmospheric nature as deep blues and earthy greens bleed into creamy white paper. The work exists as a moment of bliss: portraying serene ponds and blooming flowers which appear to ebb and flow across the paper. With a slight hand and observant eye, she paints an environment both cool and peaceful yet richly captivating. She states “the indirect view – memory and refraction – coalesces for me in ponds and sea, clouds, ice, glass, windows. Trees (solid and textured) and water (ephemeral and textured) are a large part of my subject matter. Watercolor, with its possibilities of hovering, layered washes, continues to fascinate me as my medium.”
Ellis received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History at Radcliffe College. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, where she has taught at The Art League since 1989. Her work is in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Library of Congress, Washington Post, all, Washington, DC; Markel Corporation, Reed Smith, Medical College of Virginia, McGuire Woods, and Sheltering Arms, all, Richmond, VA, among others.
Past Exhibitions
Vacation Days
