Donna Ellis
A third-generation American from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Donna Ellis
has metal in her DNA: her paternal grandfather, both her parents, her
extended family, and even she, herself, worked for the Bethlehem Steel
Corporation at one time or another. As a child, she created jewelry from tin
foil and found objects. Still fascinated by metalwork as it relates to
adornment, and primarily self-taught, Ms. Ellis supplemented her personal
jewelry metalsmith studies with library books as well as enrichment classes
in Los Angeles at both Barnsdall Art Center and Otis College of Art and
Design. She sustainably creates her wearable sculptures mostly from
vintage silverplate she upcycles. Inspiration for this collection includes the
Bethlehem Steel yard, stacks, and coke works; Frank Gehry; Richard
Serra; Soviet-era Brutalism; and her C-PTSD diagnosis. Today, Ms. Ellis
resides in Lebec, California, where she continues to hammer and heal with
her artist husband, Tim, their four amazing lads, and two rescue cats, Echo
and Starman.
Gallery
