About Lee Ellis
Links
Education
2003 - 2006
University of the West of England
2002 - 2003
Stroud Art College
1995 - 2002
Cheltenham Bournside School
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Previous events
Event: Semblance
Dates: 20 Jul 2017 - 31 Aug 2017
Exhibition dates: 20th July - 31st August
Opening night: Thursday 20th July 6-9pm
Exhibiting artists:
Matt Small, Carne Giffiths, Dan Cimmermann, Ange Belle, John Atherton, Max Brazier Jones and Lee Ellis
Event: Creative Debuts x Bond Dickinson
Dates: 9 Feb 2017 - 9 May 2017
A group show put on by the duo at Creative Debuts.
Event: Common People
Dates: 3 Nov 2016 - 3 Jan 2017
Group show
Event: Tribe 15
Dates: 30 Sep 2016 - 2 Oct 2016
Group show from Chrom Art
Event: Show No.31
Dates: 10 Sep 2016 - 1 Oct 2016
Solo show with new charcoal drawings and paintings.
Event: Scratching the surface
Dates: 18 May 2016 - 2 Jun 2016
A small selection of work as part of a three person show.
Event: Exhibit Here, Summer show
Dates: 28 Jul 2015 - 1 Aug 2015
Group summer show.
Event: New Visions V
Dates: 5 Jun 2015 - 1 Aug 2015
A group show of emerging and established artists within Bristol and the surrounding areas.
Event: Project Space
Dates: 30 Apr 2015 - 10 May 2015
A selection fo works featured in the gallery's project space alongside the exhibition in the main gallery. Main show features work by Simon Shepherd and Janet Brown.
Event: In association with Black Rat Projects
Dates: 11 Mar 2015 - 15 Mar 2015
A selection of paintings and charcoal drawings exhibited.
Event: Flux
Dates: 18 Feb 2015 - 22 Feb 2015
Large group show with Gray's Art Gallery
Event: Xmas show
Dates: 13 Dec 2014 - 2 Jan 2015
Group Xmas show.
Event: It's not me, it's you
Dates: 12 Sep 2014 - 10 Oct 2014
Solo show this September with UPfest gallery.
Showcasing all new, unseen work looking at the people around me and painting them in an expressive manner.
Event: OTO
Dates: 22 May 2014 - 25 May 2014
Gallery clear out show for the Southville arts trail.
Event: Leebay
Dates: 1 Jan 2014 - 11 Jan 2014
A digital solo show using eBay as the gallery space.
Complete sell out!
Event: Xmas show
Dates: 1 Dec 2013 - 9 Jan 2014
The infamous Xmas show.
Event: Art Parcel Launch party
Dates: 1 Nov 2013 - 23 Dec 2013
2 pieces included within the show, held at Square Gallery, Bristol
Event: New Visions 11
Dates: 6 Jun 2013 - 23 Aug 2013
Group show of local artists.
Event: Xmas show 2012
Dates: 1 Dec 2012 - 6 Jan 2013
Group show of local and national artists. Varied range from contemporary to street art.
Event: Welcome to the neighbourhood
Dates: 1 Sep 2012 - 1 Oct 2012
Solo show looking at addiction and psychological issues effecting people.
Event: The Dark Show
Dates: 1 Aug 2012 - 1 Sep 2012
A small collection of artist exploring the darker side of life.
Event: Resurrection
Dates: 1 May 2012 - 1 Jun 2012
Group show of pieces depicting dead celebrities.
Event: London West Bank presents.. 1st Cut - 1st Anniversary Group Art Exhibition
Dates: 29 Mar 2012 - 25 Apr 2012
Group show.
Event: UPfestive
Dates: 1 Dec 2011 - 1 Jan 2012
Xmas group show with UPfest
Event: The strange case of Dr Kimmings and Mr Ellis
Dates: 1 Nov 2011 - 1 Dec 2011
2 man show with Julian Kimmings. Demonstrating the start contrast between works.
Event: Vice Versa
Dates: 1 Aug 2011 - 1 Sep 2011
Group show curated my Louis Masai
Event: Bank Job
Dates: 1 Jun 2011 - 1 Jul 2011
Group show of various street and urban artists
Event: Various works
Dates: 1 Feb 2011 - 1 May 2011
Small solo show of various works
Event: Stare at me
Dates: 12 Jan 2011 - 1 Feb 2011
Solo show depicting the frailty of the human condition.
Event: 1loveart presents.. Rump
Dates: 2 Jan 2010 - 2 Mar 2010
Group show
Event: Group show
Dates: 1 Jun 2008 - 1 Jul 2008
Group show, post festival.
Event: Urban arts group show
Dates: 1 Jun 2008 - 1 Jul 2008
A selection of urban and street artists
Event: Lee Ellis, solo show
Dates: 1 Mar 2008 - 1 May 2008
A solo show, showcasing a variety of portraits.
Event: Solo show
Dates: 1 Sep 2007 - 1 Oct 2007
A selection of abstract works.
Biography
Lee Ellis is a British multi-media artist based in Bristol.
His insatiable desire to create leads him to embrace different artistic mediums, from printmaking to drawing and painting and his bold and expressive style is characterised by the unusual juxtaposition of bright colours and dark subjects.
Ellis’s paintings typically convey a visceral and deep-seated angst within his figures, and his raw, expressive brushstrokes make his style poignant and immediately affecting. In his most recent work however the depth of emotion is tempered by wit and originality. His ‘Imposter’ collection made a huge impact, and he has followed this with a host of creative new styles and ideas inspired by royalty, superheroes, iconic design and more, all delivered in his compelling contemporary voice.
“I like to use the human face as my subject, but in a way it acts as a vessel for my experimentation”, he says. “The person I’m painting typically becomes irrelevant as I use their features to hold the paint and the work evolves with every layer of colour.”
Painting in a mixture of oils, spray paints and charcoals Ellis is a natural experimenter, fascinated by the effects and versatility of different mediums and the opportunities they offer for uniqueness. He is constantly pushing boundaries and exploring the possibilities of new tools, looking for different ways of moving the paint around the canvas and bringing energy and originality to the process of creation.
Ellis was first drawn to art as a teenager when he saw Wine-Crucifix by Arnulf Rainer at Tate Modern. This extraordinary work, originally created for the Student Chapel of the Catholic University in Graz, Austria, was hung across a window, and the shape of a cross was revealed beneath the many layers of deep red paint only when the light shone through the canvas. The painting is a powerful work at any time, but its living shifting symbolism in response to the light spoke directly to his imagination, as did the work he saw that day by Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud; these three artists have had a significant and visible influence on his work ever since.
Ellis graduated from the University of the West of England, where he studied Graphic Design, but soon found his artistic expression was evolving into a love of abstract painting. He developed a distinctive and highly personal style and began to sell his art on the harbour side in Bristol. It was not long before he had attracted attention from local gallery owners and from there his career as a fine artist took off. Since 2007, Ellis has exhibited widely across the UK both in solo and group exhibitions, including Black Rats Projects in Soho and a solo show in Glasgow.
“I’m driven by the urge to experiment and try to paint with everything not designed to be painted with and moving my medium around the canvas in novel ways. I like to work fast and capture as much energy as possible.”
