Monica Ellis

Profile

Age: 34
City: Sydney
Country: Australia

Joined: Mar 2007

Current Artist Bio: Monica Ellis was born in Canada in 1975 moved to Australia at the age of three.

The thing I fear most in this life is talking about me. I would rather hide under my bed. But nothing exciting ever resulted from hiding under beds—that’s if you exclude people who like talking to spiders. And as I am so very afraid of spiders, particularly the hairy ones, I think I will talk about me, my art and my dog, Molly. I will also tell you about a girl named Silly who dropped by one afternoon quite unannounced for a cup of tea and began sharing her adventures.

I started drawing at a young age. Like many other little girls I had an obsession with princess’s in fluffy ball gowns who lived in far away castles. I drew thousands of pictures of them and decided that when I grew up I would like that sort of life…and in particular, those sorts of clothes! The other option was to be a ballet dancer (those great tutus). For me any role in life was always about what you got to wear.

To be truthful nothing much has changed except the realisation that I was not born into royalty and so the princess life was out. (In hindsight I am very, very glad) Alas, ballet was out as well. I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when I was five and that put an end to a career in dance. It is a condition that eventually led to life in a wheelchair. But through my drawing I could be any of these things I had once dreamed of being, and travel anywhere on the globe.I was only limited by my imagination.

This love of mine for drawing, painting, history and culture the romance of Paris in the 18th century (now there was a time when people knew how to dress!)was to set me on a path that would open up the world in all its shades of beauty, sadness, joy and complexity. I knew the sorts of lives I wanted to imagine and create. Being in a wheelchair couldn’t stop me, not even the odd flat tire. It certainly couldn’t stop me owning a killer wardrobe either.

To be different allows you the space to view the world in a way that other people never get to see. I became a witness to the flurry of activity around me. My life moves at a slower pace. It allows me to be still and observe.

My art is a celebration of this observation: the humour, the ironic and the poignant—all the tiny details missed by those in a hurry that create meaning in our lives.

My dear friend Silly, who stopped by for that cup of tea, embodies all of these things. She reaches for stars, sometimes catching one in her hand, and at other times missing by a mile. But despite disappointments Silly is always willing to give something new a try. Her sidekick, Molly, follows wherever she goes. Silly and Molly are what it means to be human and dog—to be friends and to share.

I studied visual arts for four years at the University of Western Sydney from 1995-1998. Studying painting, printing making, photography and ceramics. Enjoying how each art making process expanded my abililty to express my art. 1998

I studied playwriting at N.I.D.A. I truely believe that art and writing feed into each other and I continue to do both. My ink drawings and prints are a mixture of bandage beings breaking their earthly bonds of the body, becoming new beings.

My art is also influenced by music. Nina Simone and Billy Holiday.

A new creation named Silly has come into my life. I hope to share her and her many adventures with the world.

My artwork displayed on RedBubble is for sale or lease, and I accept commissions for paintings and t-shirts.

if you have any questions please email at mj_ellisarts@yahoo.com.au