Sketch of Lee Ethel Speed for portrait 2026

Sketch of Mack for portrait 2026

 

 

Healing Series
December, 2025
Artist Ellen Howell
 NSU Grad School 
Teacher:  Edgar Cano

                                                                  Sunset at Buck's Run                                                                                                                                    5" x 5' Oils on Canvas

Arizona House (work in progress
11"x14"
Oils on Canvas

Mary Jones (work in progress)
12" x 12"
Oils on canvas

My copy of Two Glasses of Wine
by John Singer Sargent
16"x20"
Oils on Canvas

Sketch for Joy
81/2"x11
Pencil on Paper

Caroline
81/2"x11"
Pencil on Paper

Mary Ellen
81/2"x11"
Pencil on Paper

                                                       

                                

Continuing to work on portrait of Tom and Buck.  Don't worry Tom, you'll be smiling, soon.

 

This 3' x 5 ' oil painting was inspired by the book, "Incredibly Bright Creatures."  I painted it to share on the night my book club met to discuss the book.

 

 

My Copy of "Two Wine Glasses" by John Singer Sargent.  Needs to dry and be varnished.

This is an early stage of a portrait of my daughter, Sarah.

 

Tuesday, December 31, 2024. 

It's nearly 2025!!!  Best wishes for a really good year ahead.

This photo shows the fairy house I created for my granddaughter last year (2023) at this time.  It was so much fun to make!   It is light as a feather and really sturdy.  I learned how to do it from watching Where the Gnomes Live on YouTube. If you want to see more photos of the process just email me and I'll put them in the blog.  ellenhgh@gmail.com

 

This octopus is one of my current projects.  I'm  doing it in oils on canvas 3' x 5'.  Back in February I was inspired  by the octopus in a book  that my book club read:  Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.  I was the hostess for our meeting to discuss the book so I quickly did a first sketch to have on the wall when they arrived.  It remained there on the wall until a week or so ago when I started on it, again.  

You can see that it's outside on my porch.  After reading a fictional account about the history of the paint color blue, Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore, I decided to go back to acrylics.  While the book is fun, I already don't like the fumes from oil paints so I was easily influenced.

For awhile I stayed with acrylics only but I had already begun this painting in oils so now I'm using oils, again... with lots of ventilation!

 

These are my two friends Ethel and Merman.

A spin-off from making the fairy house was that I learned how to make mice from the same person who taught me how to make fairy houses (Where the Gnomes Live on YouTube).

Ethel and Merman have a house I put together from things like shoeboxes.  I found some furniture that is just their size at Hobby Lobby and bought it and I also made some from patterns I found on Pinterest.

My friend who lives in Atlanta teaches art to children.  They learn about different artists and then create their own pieces of art in the style of that artist.   This year I was so lucky to get to visit the Hirsch School where my friend works.  So, when the children were studying abstract art, I decided to create a story using Ethel and Merman, their home, and a piece of art that my friend created as an example for her students.  I photographed each scene and then created the script for a digital book.

In my next blog I'll show you photos of the White Mice Ball that I made using the same technique as I used for  Ethel and Merman.  Thanks for any comments! Until next time,  Take care, Ellen

 Henry 

5" x 5" x 1.5"

Oils on canvas

March, 2023

Lillian

Lillian
11" x 14"
Oils on canvas

Mama & Daddy's House
11" x 14"
Oils on Canvas

 Trish's Kids

10" x 14"

Acrylics on Canvas

So very happy with how this came out!!!!!!

 Finally, I completed half of this commission.  These are not the final images of the portraits but it does give you an idea of where I was going with them.

Each is 8"x 8"x 2" so they stand on their own or can be hung.

Acrylics on board.

Christmas Surprise Portraits 2020

Mojo and Hank
8" x 10"
Acrylics on canvas
sold

DeVille Brothers
11" x 14"
Acrylics on canvas
sold

I just completed and shipped this Pet Portrait Christmas Tree ornament. 

 Order a portrait of your pet now for Christmas 2021.  ellenhgh@gmail.com

Maggie
4" x 4"
Acrylics on Wood Panel

 

 Shiner

4" x 4"
Acrylics on wood panel

(hole drilled at top to allow hanging on Christmas Tree)

 Commissioned Portrait
11" x 14"
Acrylics on Canvas

Pedro

4" x 4"

Acrylic on panel

 

Bella

Bella

4" x 4"

Acrylics on Panel

Commissioned as a memorial portrait for a client's friend.

The hole at the top makes it possible to hang it as a Christmas Tree Ornament.

Welker

Welker

5" x 5"x 1 1/2"

Acrylics on canvas

A memorial portrait commissioned as a surprise gift for a client's friend.  

Ernie Banks

Ernie Banks

4" x 4"

Acrylics on panel

This was commissioned as a surprise birthday present.  It has a hole drilled in the top so that it can be used as a Christmas tree ornament.  This portrait was based on a photo created by John Willson. I added the ivy covered wall to further signify this baseball fan's favorite team.

Shady Lane

Shady Lane
11" x 14"
Acrylics on paper

This is a painting I used as a demo for an art lesson.  It is a scene based on a painting by Jim Harrison.