We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ella Stouse. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ella below.

Ella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My artistic jouney stemed from the desire to draw anything and everything I found interesting. My mom noticing the pattern enrolled me in art summer camps. I ended up continuing this education in high school, attending NOCCA, New Orleans center for the creatice arts. I currently am a junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design majoring in painting and minoring in printmaking. Before SCAD the main focus of these art classes was usually drawing. I think for a while I was hesitent to start painting. I didn’t start consistanly painting until late highschool. Maybe if I started painting earlier I would have been able to speed up the process. I do think I didn’t realize how helpful painting and drawing from life was until a year or two ago. That probably would have sped things up. I think one of the biggest obstacles that I’ve faced is just getting past the fear that people wont like what youre painting. In the past that fear has caused me to paint what I think I should be painting rather than painting what I actually want to paint.

Ella, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a 21 year old painter from New Orleans. Currently my work is figurative. often merge different kinds of creatures. That started when I found myself enjoying painting animals but wanting my work to also have human figures in them. recetly in my work they have begun to represent a sort of transformation or metamorphosis.
Since I was very young I always enjoyed drawing. However, I didnt start painting until I was a senior in high school. Ever since then I havent been able to stop. My earlier paintings were mostly portraits of my friends or pets such as dogs or horses. At this time I rode horses and was obsessed with them. I really enjoyed painting them. This was the first time I found myself painting at a consistent pace.
For selling art I have decided that commissions are a no go. I find that if I’m not enjoying what im making I won’t make it well. With most commissions, I can’t say it’s enjoyable. So I don’t do them. While I appriciate people who want to buy my work it’s not a my main priority. My main priority is to paint. Im an artist first. If i get into the mindset of trying to create what buyers want my work will suffer. This also means that everyone who has purchased my work has a piece of history from me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think my strong belief in painting what you want to might be confusing to some. The counter arguemnent being the issue of selling. My mom still thinks I should paint baby portraits. For a lomg time I was scared that I would never sell anything, and to be honest that hasn’t fully gone away. In one of my classes at SCAD I had a professor who really belived in the idea of figuring out what you want to paint over the idea of painting what you think you should be painting. I remeber being told that “the market will find you.” the same professor made us do a forty 1 hour paintings. I ended up doing fortyfive. I found what I actually enjoyed working on. I can say from experience, if you don’t care about what youre painting you will not produce much work and the work you do produce you wont put as much effort into. as an artist you want to be producing as much work as you can while also having intrerest in it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing for me as an artist is when I have people say that they resonate or connect with my work. I’ve struggled to feel that connect with my own work. often my work will have one meaning when its just a drawing in my sketchbook. Then when I’m painting I will think it has a different meaning. Once it’s finished it feels sort of lost for me. I’m not sure what it means anymore. having people come to me and tell me that they see and feel something in my work is the highest compliment I can hear. With my work I often try to create very loose narratives that a wide range of viewers can connect to. hearing that that is successful makes me feel like I’ve reached a goal. I never expect it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ellastouse
• Linkedin: Elizabeth Stouse