Carlee Ellis

Visual Art – Orange County

At this beginning of this year I decided I was ready for a change. Life was stagnant and my heart felt unfulfilled. I thought hard on what was best for my wellbeing and packed up everything I could into my car and said goodbye to all my family and friends in Cincinnati, Ohio. As much as I miss my people, it needed to happen. I have since been granted so many new opportunities that I’m endlessly thankful for. I feel inspired every time I walk out my door in the mornings. This is what has caused my love for art to pick up again. You’ve probably all heard it before, but I’ve adored creating and observing things since I was a little girl. I remember summer days and laying on a blanket under the weeping willow tree in my backyard. On nice days my Mum would let me take all my art supplies outside. I would paint and draw what I saw! Ants crawling over pieces of grass, little honey bees doin’ their thing and pollinating some flowers, delicate butterflies intertwining within others’ flight path, and the silhouettes I saw in the clouds. As a kid, it was endless fun. The older you get, typically, the less you get a chance to make a mess. I had fallen into the go to school and work trap and had stopped making time to paint within the past couple of years after graduating high school. Once I moved to Southern California, I was so happy with my new surroundings that I rediscovered my true love of painting a blank canvas. I pray this inspired feeling never stops, because I plan to use up all my talent. I tend to paint things that are happy and bright, in hopes that even in dark seasons, my art can spark a light in someone’s heart. I’m proud of how far I have come, and I think the littler version of me would be, too. It’s all for her, really.