Ellen DeMaria is a painter and jewelry designer, creatively molding shapes, colors, textures, and forms in her work.
Ellen paints watercolors, acrylics, and mixed media with an expressive brushstroke, often depicting her beloved waters
of the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia, as well as the ocean nearby. Ellen's family owns a seafood business which has given her insight into the often rugged waterman's life and the inherent beauty in the rustic elements surrounding that livelihood.
She refers to her painting style as "abstract realism" and when painting each day she states that is a very intuitive process. While frequently inspired by an image--either up-close or from a photo--her paintings often begin with an idea that leads her to
create unexpected artworks, hopefully evoking feelings for the viewer. Ellen has been painting for about 35 years,
and continues to take workshops and painting seminars with some of the country's finest watercolorists.
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Ellen's artisan jewelry, named Ella Bella's Jewels, incorporates hand-forged metal, semi-precious stones,
handcrafted beads, and leather. DeMaria finds that this artistic endeavor is in some ways a meditative break from her painting.
Each piece is designed as an original, often an organic art form, so that no two jewelry pieces are exactly alike.
Ellen is proud that her designs are made in America, by her own hand.
Ellen paints and creates in her home studio, and displays her work in area galleries, art festivals,
and in her family's fresh seafood and gift market, DeMaria's Seafood, in Newport News, Virginia.
High-quality prints are available through www.FineArtAmerica.com