Ellen is originally from Kensington, MD, and has a BA in Studio Art from University of Maryland in College Park. In 2000, after more than 25 years as a graphic designer, she returned to fine art. Inspired by the work of Wolf Kahn and Paula Rego, she began telling stories in pastel, charcoal and carbon pencil, and had her first solo show in 2008. She has exhibited extensively in local and national shows, and teaches drawing and painting at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. In 2019, she was invited to be part of a team of artists creating charcoal drawings on the walls of the Hirshhorn Museum for the exhibit “Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, Green”. And in 2021 she received a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist grant for her body of work. She has a studio at Portico Gallery and Studios in Brentwood, MD.