Ellen Mae Williams (b. 1995) is a mixed media artist. After completing a Masters in Textiles at the Royal College of Art in 2019, Ellen has been focusing on creating linen paintings using natural pigments, dyes and inks. Ellen has been the recipient of the Harriet’s Trust Award at Cockpit Arts in 2022, and in early 2022 was awarded a ‘Developing your Creative Practice’ grant from Arts Council England, this allowed her to complete an artist residency in Greece and develop a new body of work inspired by her time there. Ellen has had group exhibitions with Amelia Maxwell art advisory, Toast, Domenica Marland, Cor Gallery, and Milieu Studios. She has had collaborations with, Toast, Jigsaw, The Edition 94, and Liberty London among others. Ellen was Bamford’s artist in residence in summer 2017, as well as undertaking a residency at The Skopelos Foundation for the Arts on the Greek island of Skopelos in 2022. In May 2024 Ellen completed a third residency, this time at Casa Julfa, located in the town of Montmorillon in the south west region of France. While there she experimented with the naturally occurring earth pigments, such as ochre, terracotta and montmorillonite, creating a collection of paintings which were then exhibited in the duo show, ‘wanderings’ in London, September 2024.

Ellen takes inspiration from the landscapes she has experienced, the micro and macro elements of a scene; from the tiny details of nature to the overall atmosphere of a place. The amalgamation of ingredients that make up a scene; sky, trees, shapes, textures, light and colour. Influenced by the changing seasons, her works are an abstract interpretation of the natural world, combining natural materials from the land with expressive marks to convey the feeling of a place. She strives to unlock memories, feelings of nostalgia for a wild, natural setting, be it from dreams, or a physical location.

Copyright 2024 Ellen Mae Williams