Paintings by Rose Ellis are classically inspired, with a modern flair.
While she calls the Midwest and the Great Lakes home, Rose has lived and worked all over the world. Her experiences immersing in the culture and communities in the Virgin Islands, the Loire Valley, Tuscany, the American Southwest, and Japan have given her endless inspiration for her work.
Rose earned her studio art degree from the University of Michigan and exhibits widely in galleries, competitions, and art festivals locally in West Michigan, and nationally. A member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Association, the National Association of Women Artists, and the American Impressionist Society, her work is included in numerous public and private collections.
In addition to her many paintings and installations, Rose loves to bring art into everyone’s home. Her commissions range from businesses to private residences.
Rose’s Artistic Statement About Her Origami Series
I’ve explored several artistic styles and numerous subjects over the past fifty years. Everything from abstraction to realism, landscapes to fantasy. These origami-inspired still life paintings express many things besides “still”. I’m really creating narratives using folded paper and then painting them. Frequently I combine my origami characters with found objects that add whimsy to the final image. Sometimes I begin with a possible title. Other times I might be inspired by a crazy YouTube video. I have a lot of fun reinterpreting familiar everyday objects and images, like the cartoon characters Snoopy and Woodstock as “flying Aces” with my favorite origami dog. Or recreating Banksy’s girl with a balloon in an original origami style. I build and color my own models with specially chosen papers, arranging them on a small theatrical stage like a maquette. Then I carefully light and photograph the scene, and paint from the photos, frequently adding imaginative twists that I hope will bring smiles to the faces of my viewers.
Juried Shows & Solo Exhibitions
39th Annual Michigan Fine Arts Competition - Bloomfield Hills
Windsor Arts Center | New York
Artist’s Studio, “Portable Rainbows” (solo) | Michigan
Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional, Crooked Tree Gallery | Michigan
Ridgewood Art Institute | New Jersey
National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society, Intl. Online Exhibitions 2021 & 2022
Desert Art Source | California
Synchronicity Gallery | Glen Arbor, Michigan
Artworks, “A Burst of Bubbles” (solo) | Michigan
Muskegon Museum of Art, West Michigan Regional Arts Exhibition | Michigan
Grand Rapids Art Museum, West Michigan Artists | Michigan
Richard Low Evans Gallery | Georgia
Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts | Michigan
Foster Tanner Fine Arts | Florida
Lowell Arts, West Michigan Arts Competition | Michigan
Visual Arts Center | Florida
Artist’s Studio, “Michigan Woods & Waters” (solo) | Michigan
Artprize | Michigan
Cascade Gallery | Michigan
93rd Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition| Muskegon Museum
Cape Fear Studios | North Carolina
Gallery Arcadia (semi-solo) | Michigan
Awards
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, 2nd Place Award | Michigan
Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, Best of Show & Purchase Awards | Michigan
Cape Fear Studios, Best of Show & Purchase Awards | North Carolina
Lowell Arts | West Michigan Art Competition, Best 2-D | Michigan
Selected Private & Public Collections
Grand Valley State University | Allendale MI
Spectrum Health | Grand Rapids MI
Dan & Pammela DeVos | Ada MI
Warner, Norcross & Judd, LLP | Grand Rapids MI
Richard & Helen DeVos | Holland, MI
Charter Communications | Stamford, CT
Peck Building | Grand Rapids MI
Dick & Betsy DeVos | Ada MI
River House | Grand Rapids MI
Honorable Hiroshi & Kuniko Koizumi | Toyama, Japan
Sneaky Beagle LLC | Easton CT
DeVos Place Grand Gallery | Grand Rapids MI