We first met Ella at an Open Studios event in Redruth. We had heard on the grapevine about this amazing art collective based at the old grammar school, known as Krowji. The Melting Pot cafe was also rumoured to offer yummy gluten-free cake too, which was high on the priority list for a wet Saturday afternoon.
Krowji is a place we have since returned to time and time again. During our visits, we have gradually made acquaintances with many of the artists who open their studios. Ella is amongst one of our favourite Krowji artists, and we have been tempted a few times to invest in her work. Unfortunately, the reality of our day-to-dau budget always gets the better of us, and we have had to stand by and watch a few of our favourite pieces go to other homes.
When the idea of the gallery was first conceived, we put together a wish list of artists whose work we would love to see on the walls. Ella's name was top of the list amongst a few of our other Krowji artists. So naturally, we were over the moon when she said yes to our proposal and very excited when she decided to use the opportunity to showcase some new studies she had created inspired by the Cornish coastline: 'Drawing from Rocks: An Exhibition of Experimental Ink Drawings'.
Ella is a local to Penryn, living just a stone's throw from the gallery. She is a painter who investigates her own experiences of the world and is interested in describing a process of perception, discovery and regeneration. She loves creating layers of associations from scavenged sources and likes the idea of other possibilities underneath layers of paint.
Born in Nairobi, Kenya she moved back to the UK when she was two years old and grew up in Warwickshire. She studied Art Foundation at St. Albans College of Art and a BA in Fine Art and Painting at Cheltenham College of Art. She has lived in London, Oxford, Hertfordshire. Most of her work is created in her studio at Krowji, and all her printmaking is done on-site at John Howard Print Studios.
Unfortunately, the COVID 19 lockdown rules have meant that the gallery is closed to visitors. However, Ella has lent us a stunning piece to display in our window, and the remainder of her exhibition 'Drawing from Rocks: An Exhibition of Experimental Ink Drawings', will be online. Due to the postponement of Open Studios Cornwall, we have been able to extend Ella's exhibition until the 7th of June. And we are keeping our fingers tightly crossed that we get the green light to open before this date so we can have one hell of a private view to celebrate Ella's fantastic work and the end of Lockdown 2020. So keep your eyes on our social media feeds...