Barbara Ellis is a non-objective abstract painter who lives and works in the Charlotte, NC metro area. A native of New York City, her colorful paintings that respond to dreams and musings, reflect the Spiritual, the Socio-political; and Memory. Surprising forms and movement emanate from her work as she uses the abstract expressionist process to facilitate channeling emotional states into visual form.

Ellis was born in NY City, and has resided in Charlotte, NC since 2004. She grew up in a family where the sounds of jazz recordings were commonplace. Her great-grandfather was a composer and pianist and owned a well-known Harlem club during the 1940s. Creative expression was encouraged, so she sang, danced and drew her way through her formative years.

After earning a B.A. in Commercial Art at The City College of New York, Ellis pursued a decades-long corporate career in N.Y.C. During that time, she took art classes at Fashion Institute of Technology and The School of Visual Arts. Ellis relocated to Charlotte, NC in 2004 to join her family.

After retiring from corporate in 2015, she eagerly transitioned to a full-time art practice at Clearwater Artist Studios in Concord, NC. In 2017, Ellis attended the Women of Abstract Expressionism exhibit at Charlotte’s Mint Museum Uptown. This experience changed her life. Fascinated by the expressive freedom boldly reflected in these large colorful paintings, Ellis recognized that this was the direction her work needed to take. She’s been hooked
ever since.

Ellis has studied independently with artists Louise Farley, Lee Baumgarten, Walter Stanford, and with Steve Aimone’s (juried) Master Series Individual Study Residency and Retreat in 2017. She has exhibited in solo, and group shows in North Carolina, and her work has been featured in print and television. She is a 2016 ArtPop Charlotte alumna, and 2017 Artfields participant.

Ellis has studio space and exhibits at the Visual and Performing Arts Center (VAPA) in Charlotte, NC. She is represented by Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery, Charlotte, NC.