Meet Ellie Chaddock

Ellie Chaddock will be our Feature Artist for the month of November. 

Ohio native, Ellie Chaddock is an abstract artist known for her bold and colorful canvas
paintings. Ellie grew up on a small farm in Minerva, Ohio. She would spend most of her
summers outside, taking in the beautiful rural scenery. Ellie fell in love with art at a young age and enjoyed creating art during her childhood. She attended college at the University of Mount Union, graduating with a degree in Art Education in 2019. She taught art at an elementary school from 2019-2021, sharing her passion with her students.

Ellie’s art style has changed quite a bit over the years. Her focus was on realism throughout her
youth where she would mostly paint images of animals and landscapes. As she got older, she
would introduce more color and movement to her works. It wasn’t until after graduation where
Ellie fell in love with creating completely abstract art.

She started her small business called “Original Art by Ellie” in 2019 and has been developing her own unique style and brand ever since. Ellie paints in her home studio on her days off. Her work is inspired by both nature and her daily life. Through her use of bold color and energetic line work, she hopes her art brings a sense of positive energy and joy into the lives of her followers. She has shown her work at various art festivals, galleries, and shows in Ohio. She also releases seasonal collections of paintings on her website, OriginalArtbyEllie.com. Besides painting, Ellie’s interests include meditating, curating Spotify playlists, collecting crystals, and going on long nature walks with her dog, Moose.

She is a self-declared terrible dancer and she can be found wearing colored lipstick almost
every day of the year.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
“Original Art by Ellie” is a celebration of my life and my love for art.
Art became a passion of mine at the age of 4 years old, and I honestly couldn’t even tell you
why. Maybe it was the way my hands felt as they touched finger paints for the first time or
maybe it was the joy I saw in my parent's eyes when I'd show them a (very badly drawn) picture.

The very first memories I have are of me doing arts and crafts in preschool. When I reached
elementary school, I started taking art lessons regularly. I learned how to sketch, shade, & color realistically. Even at such a young age, the process of creating and making art meant so much to me. I was drawn to it. Creating seemed to help ease my daily stresses. I could have a
hundred thoughts on my mind, but the second I put my brush to canvas, I'd relax. Hours felt like minutes, and I would get lost in the flow of my creations. Art was my therapy.

Now that I’m older and have developed my own unique abstract style, I realize now more than
ever, that I love the freedom that comes with creating. I love the feeling of a brush in my hand,
expressing myself in such a raw and physical form. My creative process is driven by my
intuition. When I paint abstractly, I try to have fun and enjoy the moment. However, ultimately,
each painting is influenced by my daily life. My moods and emotions often carry over into my
works, and are shown in the colors that I choose and brushstrokes that I make. Once I develop
a flow and really get into a painting, I find myself to be lost in an almost meditative state.

There’s a moment in each painting, where I go from being a thoughtful creator, to mindlessly creating. This is my favorite part. My innermost child comes out and suddenly I’m 4 years old again, with that same passion and freedom that made me fall in love with art in the first place.
I believe that art doesn’t really have rules. Authentic and messy outshines clean and fake, and
I’ve realized that abstract art has a sort of hidden power that most people overlook. There are
an infinite amount of interpretations and feelings that one single painting can trigger in each
person who views it. All people strive to find meaning in their lives, to connect with others, and
to ignite a fire in their soul. Art does all of these things for me and more. I create to help
understand myself, to find connections with other people, and to express what is otherwise
inexpressible. Life can be serious but art doesn’t have to be. We all deserve to live a colorful life
surrounded by people who love and support us for exactly who we are. You have come across
me and my works for a reason, and I hope that you know you are welcomed here.

ELLIE’S PAINTINGS HAVE BEEN FEATURED AT:
Sally Otto Art Gallery, Alliance 2018-2019
Beeghly Hall, Alliance 2016-2017
University of Mount Union’s Senior Art Exhibit 2019AICUO Award for Excellence in the Visual
Arts (EVA’s)
Riffe Gallery Show, Gahanna 2019
Short North Arts District May Gallery Hop at First CommonWealth Bank, Columbus 2019
Mount Union Art Festival, Alliance 2019
Holiday Bazaar at 818 Studios, Tremont 2019
University of Mount Union News Highlights, mountunion.edu/news 2020‍