Ella Maddalena is an artist raised in the French countryside near Paris. She began taking art seriously during her GCSEs and continued through her A Levels. Encouraged by her mother, she enrolled in an Art Foundation program and later studied illustration at the University of Brighton, where she discovered her true passion for painting.

While pursuing her degree, Ella taught herself to tattoo, which became her main source of income. This flexibility allowed her to focus on building her art career. Recently, she has returned to painting and completed a pottery hand-building course, purchasing a pottery wheel to create intricate pieces.

Driven by a desire to bring soul and life into everyday objects, Ella aims to help people feel valued and enhance their self-belief. Her work reflects her belief that beauty can transform our environments, promoting feelings of calm and warmth. Through her art, she invites viewers to experience a sense of curiosity and whimsy, encouraging them to accept their own adventures and true self.

In this week’s studio visit interview, we explore the creative space of Ella Maddalena, an artist with a passion for painting and ceramics. Ella opens up about her journey as an artist, sharing her inspirations, daily routines, and the unique projects she’s currently working on. Accompanied by her fish, who add a splash of life to her workspace, she describes the comforting smell of oil paint drying, filling the air with the essence of creativity. Ella also talks about her creative philosophy and the warmth she aims to bring into the world through her art.

1.  Ella, Can you describe your typical studio day and creative process?

I always start my days with coffee, other than that, I don’t have a typical way I work. I have fairly sever ADHD so I usually let my day take me the way it wants to. I work in painting and ceramics so will usually decide in the morning which one I want to do for the day, if I’m painting I will usually start by deciding what exactly I wish to paint that day by doing some quick composition sketches, with some colour blocking, I like to just ‘do things’ and am the kind of artist where I would rather try and get it wrong and paint over my canvas or scratch off the paint 5 times than try and have everything planned out.

I tried to be an ‘organised’ artist with exact plans but I’ve found my work thrives in chaos. I plan in terms of projects, or will give myself a theme or style to work in, but outside of that, I’ve always been open to painting landscapes, still live’s and portraits/figures, I will obviously have a direction but that will be built slowly from trying out various techniques and colour schemes and styles. I spend a lot of time in museums and try and visit as many exhibitions as possible as seing many different art styles and ways of painting, in person has always really helped me open up my mind to different styles and techniques as well as allowing me to be able to unpick how a piece of work was made. Which is something I’m not really able to do looking at an image of a piece.

With my ceramics, I have a similar process where I throw on the wheel ‘the base’ of my pieces, mugs, plates, vases etc giving them the general shape I wish them to have, then let them dry under a sheet of plastic overnight so they are still malleable and then ‘sculpt’ them from there into for more intricate and detailed pieces. Once those have air dried, I get fired and I can paint them with underglazes, usually following similar painting styles to my paintings and then glaze and fire them again.

2.       What is the primary inspiration behind your current body of work?  

My current inspiration behind my body of work is to create a feeling of softness, I want people to really feel immersed and calm within my work, like it takes them out of there currently reality for just a few seconds and they can be transported to peace and serenity. I want my work to feel somewhat simplistic as our lives are so complicated and overstimulating and want my work to have an intense focus on feeling. I think that for as long as I can remember that has always been my main goal, to create a reaction in people, and right now, I’m trying to create peace, maybe because it’s something I’ve spent most of my life trying to find and I finally feel like I’m on my way there and I want to be able to share that beautiful calm with the world. Another way I’ve been describing my work is as though I want people to feel like little fairies or creatures walking through an enchanted forest, even though I feel like the direction I’ve been adapting it to is more so the feeling of being in a cozy & warm little cottage. I’m not sure what the exact inspiration is. In terms of other artists I feel that have inspired me, I would name Pierre Bonnard, Claud Monet & Alexandre Lenoir. I love the painting style Bonnard uses, with the warm colors that aren’t entirely realistic and how his figures are recognizable, our eyes know what he is depicting but the details aren’t there, I love how Monet’s work is what I consider epitome of work that is based around feeling rather than exact subject matter. His work is beautiful and incredibly well done. However I think the appeal of his work is based on the feelings it creates in people and I love how Alexandre Lenoir paints beautiful backgrounds with very faint-looking people, almost as if they are ghosts within the painting. I find it so interesting and captivity.

4. Do you have any studio assistants, or do any visitors like pets or kids often accompany you?

I don’t right now, I have fish which I love dearly who reside in my living room so who are currently present whilst I’m working but I am starting to think about getting a cat!

5. How would you describe a dream studio for yourself?

My dream studio with be a medium-sized room as anything too big would likely overwhelm me, with enough space for me to spread out my art belongings and paints and canvas and shelves to keep my pottery and as I’m sure most artists dream of having huge windows from floor to ceiling all along the wall where the sunlight would shine in all day, I would love a little balcony to sit and watch the world go by. I would love for it to be in the countryside, so I can hear the birds and feel connected to nature, I feel like the slow pace of being in the countryside is always very inspiring to me, whereas I find that the business of cities can be distracting.

6. What does your studio smell of right now?

My studio smells of oil paint drying, I try my best to keep it aired out as my studio is currently a corner of my living room, until I am able to find a new studio to work from as I have recently moved.

7. If you could set up your studio anywhere in the world, where would it be?

In Northern Italy, somewhere in the countryside near Florence, I love the energy of Italy, and find that my creativity always flourishes there, so somewhere in Northern Italy where I can eat good food, drink nice wine and spend my days off reading and relaxing in the beautiful countryside.

8. Can you discuss any ongoing projects or plans for your work?   

A project I’ve been working on recently has been the merger of my figurative paintings with my abstract ones, using the style of the abstract pieces as backgrounds.

9. How do you organize your space?

I have a shelf where I keep my sketchbooks and art supplies, but I currently don’t have a huge amount of organization.

10. What is your favorite corner in the studio?

My Desk 🙂

Ella’s studio feels warm and inviting, filled with the comforting smell of drying oil paint. It’s a space where creativity flows, allowing her to immerse herself in her work. Visit our website to explore other artists’ virtual studio spaces. To get featured on our website, don’t forget to apply for this month’s call for art.

Read more about Ella Maddalena on her Website and Instagram.

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