About the Artist

Artist Statement

I am an analytical thinker who paints intuitively.  Painting quiets my internal narrator and nourishes my spirit. Both sides share my sense of humor and it sometimes spills out onto the canvas.

Whether my work tells a slice of life story about inanimate objects, expresses my wonder at the beauty of the ordinary or depicts finding joy in environments unsuited to our natures, my main themes are joy and connection.  I gravitate towards simple compositions with an eye level perspective.

Bio

The oil paintings of Ellen Thees are eye catching, bold and colorful.  The work is representational with depth, texture and varying degrees of realism.  Hints of surrealism and abstraction are common.  Subjects are generally at least twice actual size.

Ellen Thees tried teaching herself oil painting while in her early 20s before pursuing a business career.  Thirty years later, an invitation to a paint and sip party sparked a desire too strong to ignore.  Soon it was a need.  She painted on weekends and at an open studio.  

After retiring, she began painting every day and watched her style organically and gradually develop.  It continues to develop with birds and other animals sneaking in to some of the work. She does not know does not know where the paint brush may take her next

Ellen Thees lives in Stratford CT with her husband and a cat.  She exhibits primarily in group shows, libraries and cafes.

Solo Exhibitions

Baldwin Center, Stratford, CT
     January 2025 through March 2025

Kellogg Center, Derby, CT
     August 2023 through September 2023

Organizations 

Stratford Arts Alliance

Milford Arts Council  (MAC)

Society for Creative Arts Newtown  (SCAN)