About

Realism fine artist

Ellen Casalena strives to represent her subject matter without exaggeration or artificiality. She focuses on depicting her subjects truthfully and accurately, without idealization. This requires careful observation and naturalistic representation of natural subjects such, animals, flowers, landscapes and daily scenes. This fine art movement values detail, objectivity, and authenticity, portraying the world as it truly is, and resists overt dramatization and over stylizing.

Ellen radiates enthusiasm for life and passion for art. She gravitates towards light and colour. One of the most difficult things for Ellen to do is to ‘tone things down’, even though she strives to capture what's actually there – that would be like clipping her creative wings. Ellen Casalena owned a boutique design and digital studio in Cape Town, South Africa for 22 years called Imagine Creatives Services & Digital.

Ellen trained at Durban Art College and Johannesburg Art College, South Africa before joining the advertising industry. She is an accomplished art director, designer, illustrator and photographer, having gained experience on many big brands and in many award winning advertising and design agencies. She thinks ‘out of the box’ and has the ability to ‘realise’ pretty much anything you can think of. Her sunny personality and enthusiasm mixed with a perfectionistic streak ensured that high production standards were maintained in her business and now in her art.

Ellen is a member of The South African Society of Artists (SASA) as well as The Constantiaberg Art Society (CAS) and often exhibits at the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa. Ellen also started an Art Club in Cape Town.

Ellen and her husband recently moved to Portland Oregon USA to be near their children. Art, passion, love, fun and ‘joie de vivre’, pretty much sums her up.