Bio for Ellen Wilson-Pruitt  

The first portrait Ellen saw painted on porcelain she knew that someday she wanted to be able to create a piece of artwork of that permanence. She began her porcelain painting study in 1990 with weekly classes studying with Penny Nangle. Over the years she has attended various schools and special seminars for intensive study in porcelain art. She was invited to study in 2008 in Portugal with renowned international porcelain artist Manuel Filipe Periera. 

She has also studied with famed porcelain portrait artists’ San Do, Jane Marcks, and Mariela Villasmil. Her artwork has been published in The China Decorator, The China Painter as well as Porcelain Artist three different international porcelain magazines. She was also had work included in the book “Filipe and Friends”. This book is a collector’s coffee table book including prominent porcelain artists from all over the world. Ellen’s main focus in subject is human and animal portraiture. Ellen has had examples of her work displayed at the international porcelain museum in Oklahoma City.

She has served as president of the Indiana World Organization of China Painters and serves as president of her local guild New Dimensions. She was one of the Indiana porcelain artists to paint china for the Indiana Governor’s mansion. She currently serves on the board of directors of the international organization IPAT as well as a director of the Porcelain Art School of Indiana. She serves as a feature writer on the staff of the Porcelain Artist magazine. She is currently serving as co-director of the Porcelain Art School of Indiana. She has been a teacher on the faculty of the Midwest Porcelain Art School in Missouri. One of her goals is to educate the public in respecting the fired art of painting on porcelain as a worthy medium just as any other. She appealed to the 2009 Indiana General Assembly and obtained a proclamation in HR 24 designating china painting as a fine art. She also appealed to the Hoosier Salon to allow painted porcelain into their annual exhibit and obtaining that change in policy in 2010 with porcelain exhibited for the first time since the shows inception over 85 years ago.

She is always presenting programs and demonstrations to the public about the

history and creation of porcelain art. In addition to her porcelain art activities she serves as co-director of the Porcelain Art School of Indiana. She was inducted into the Indiana Fairs Festivals and Events Association Hall of Fame and currently serves as a District Director. Her studio is located in the Art Sanctuary in Martinsville, Indiana and serves on her county fair board. She lived for 18 years on a cattle and grain farm with her late husband Leslie. She will be the first to tell you that his support was a big part of her porcelain art accomplishments. She has since left the farm for town where she now indulges the whims of the her sheltie Poppy.