Poppy Ellis

The British artist Poppy Ellis has lived multiple lives. After studying illustration at Newcastle University, Ellis embarked on an acclaimed career in publishing. Whilst working as a senior designer at Macmillan Children’s Books, she masterminded the union of author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler in the creation of modern classic, ‘The Gruffalo’, before co-founding Hope and Greenwood, a traditional-style British sweet shop that spawned its own empire, including close to forty shops in Japan, a BBC television series–and a host of imitators. 



Ellis’s third, and most compelling act – as a much sought-after artist – was borne out of the world of interiors. It was whilst briefly running an antiques store in the Sussex harbour town of Rye, that she began to notice artworks were selling faster than she could source them. “One day, I just thought, ‘Oh fuck it. I’ll make some art myself’,” she says. “My husband had been telling me to pick up a paintbrush for decades.” Her first effort, an abstract female portrait, sold instantly–and she’s never looked back. “There’s simply nothing else I want to do,” she says of her artistic evolution. “I now basically live and breathe painting.”  

This exhibition consists of a group of 37 charcoal portraits by gallery artist Poppy Ellis. Ellis's style is as strong as ever in this exhibition of drawings, which were originally created as preparatory sketches for paintings. These monochrome delights contrast from Ellis's usual bold use of colour, offering glimpses into the workings of the artist. A rare opportunity to own unique works on paper by Poppy. An introduction to 37 friends and characters all of whom we would like to live with, and we are sure you will too.

C16th C17th C18th Antiques and Sculpture, Post war and Modern British painting and sculpture by Kate Whiteford, Douglas Earl and Denis Mitchell. Contemporary Painting, Sculpture and Ceramics by Poppy Ellis, Tom Leaper Ruth Elizabeth Jones, George Yassef, Douglas Earl, Edith Lawrence and Tom Kemp.