Reviews and testimonials

  • Your methods are devilish. But they work.

    Molly Cressey-Rodgers

    Life Drawing, Oxford Summer School

  • We found it inspiring, useful and informative. Your presentation, content and pace were excellent and allowed students the maximum time to work on their own. We were also impressed by your response to the needs of each student.

    Saul Salter

    Abstract Landscape in Watercolour, Lund Studios, near York

  • I don't normally draw much as I've never really enjoyed it.... until you showed me the way with the charcoal! I can see I will be doing more! Loved the painting exercises too and your pallete management instructions were so helpful! Thank you for being such an inspiration 😁

    Alexandra Buckle

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Thanks again Ella for sharing your wisdom and tuition. Who knew I might be able to capture even a hint of likeness after just 2 days!? I am just seeing people in a whole new way and being brave to attempt to capture people in my drawings when out and about. The adventure continues.

    Anya Herklots

    Life Drawing, Oxford Summer School

  • Good, strong demonstration and coaching - very strong balance of teaching and exploring the craft (Gestural Watercolour).

    Peter Mills

    Potato Town workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Thank you so much for running these courses during lockdown. I've continued to learn no end from you. Your patience and kindness as you push me outside my comfort zone is appreciated. Whenever people in the art field see my work, they say something like 'aha, you're being taught properly.'

    Penny White

    Mindful Mark Making and Observation to Abstraction online

  • Ground-breaking. Original, ingenious instruction and exercises. The experimentation with ways of loosening up in Observation to Abstraction is inspiring and fun.

    Lucy Arterton

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio

  • A quick word to thank you for the workshop last Thursday. I’m a great fan of your work and it was a pleasure ‘meeting’ you via zoom, one of the great advantages of this technology when distances are at play.

    Béatrice Vizkelety

    Mindful Mark-Making online

  • Very freeing and eye-opening! Ella sees the possibilities where I might see the problems.

    Alison Vaspe

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio

  • Definitely the best art class I have ever taken. Great feedback in composition, I became really confident using watercolour.

    David Barron

    Summer workshops, Waterperry Gardens

  • Enjoyed the sense of purpose behind what asked to do, without it seeming rigid. Teaching/facilitation at its best. Very much appreciated seeing oneself as an artist.

    Barbara W.

    3-day residential course, Darley House, Matlock

  • Frustrating, exciting, excellent!

    J. Musgrove

    Waterperry Gardens workshops

  • Liked the divisions of the rectangle and the difference they make to the placing & coherence of shapes in a composition. Inspiring, stimulating & encouraging!

    Alison Soskice

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio

  • Found it challenging, enlightening, inspiring. Am better able to manipulate watercolours, and use charcoal to identify tonal qualities.

    Maggie McKenzie

    Colour and Texture in Mixed Media Landscape, Darley House, Matlock

  • I’m really looking forward to working with you again and getting out of my comfort zone in the lovely garden setting. I know you’ll structure a day that will be constructive, interesting and supportive.

    Liz Boote

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • I love my art days - great people for company. Enjoyed the drawing-without-looking ideas.

    Jill Partridge

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • Warm-up exercises really helped me to think about intentionality. One way or another, I go to a lot of art courses. These easily rank amongst the best. Impressive organisation skills and amazing still life sets.

    Nadia Birkbeck

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • The structure of timed, specific exercises has felt very 'containing' and purposeful. Appreciate the discipline of developing drawing skills.

    Pennie Willcocks

    Observation to Abstraction

  • Ella shows it’s possible for anyone, no matter how uncertain or cack-handed, to get to grips with watercolour. Her exciting and original ways into exploring this tricky medium have helped with drawing and composition too.

    Jane Kelly

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Learning a new process with the aim of creating a painting was really interesting & using collage as a way of loosening up was fabulous & I'll definitely do it again.

    Nic Durrant

    Potato Town workshops, Oxfordshire

  • I learned so much about watercolour including being ruthless with it. It may be my new favourite medium.

    Soraya Yehia

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Very valuable having time & space to play with paint & seeing how that was my best work. The marriage of analytical and intuitive.

    Chrissie Gutsell

    Colour and Structure in Landscape and Architecture, Darley House, Matlock

  • During lockdown, your Zoom mark-making classes have been a joyful inspiration; you've given us a series of stimulating exercises, with absolutely no pressure to 'produce.' A still point in a turbulent world.

    Emily Dening

    Mindful Mark-Making online

  • The main thing I gained from the workshop was the importance of relaxing, looking and letting go. Also, knowing that doing this will positively affect the result :)

    Alison Hehir

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • As always your teaching style gets the most out of pupils. Positive feedback is especially useful. My favourite thing was the experimental techniques we used.

    Cynthia Cook

    Potato Town workshops, Oxfordshire

  • I learnt to not overwork my paintings and found confidence in working wet on wet. Really found pleasure in having time to play.

    Maggie Parkinson

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Your classes are always encouraging, ideas continue to seem fresh. I admire your skill - and patience and generosity - to continue to find new ways of describing the points you want to make. Everything is useful.

    Margaret Ginger

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • The revelation of your colour nuances. So much to practice, so much more to discover, so much less to be sad about at the end of every course!

    Marnie Watson

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • Made me think outside the box :) Enjoyed looking at varying scale of elements in a landscape - thinking beyond a reference photograph. I really enjoyed it as always - learnt huge amounts.

    Fiona Patchett

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • What you offer is informative and instructive. I particularly enjoyed learning about preparing a palette and keeping my paints to a minimum range.

    Diane Coe

    Waterperry Gardens workshops, Oxfordshire

  • Exploring colour for two terms was a great all rounder for me. It gave me such an in-depth understanding and an awareness of the vast possibilities of colour.

    G. Whitehouse

    Observation to Abstraction online

  • I want to say how much I have enjoyed the zoom classes I've done with you. I think I learnt more in the first session than in 2 years of school art classes 😂❤️

    Emily Hoyle

    Mindful Mark-Making online

  • Ground-breaking. Enjoyed different drawing techniques, interesting palettes, glazing. Staying loose! Keeping going!

    Liz Humble-Thomas

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • Always enjoyable, taxing & ultimately rewarding due to Ella's enthusiasm and optimism.

    Clare Scott Bowen

    Waterperry Gardens summer school workshops

  • There are very few watercolour courses that deal with gestural painting, but Watercolour Mark-Making does. Inspirational & positive.

    Mary Wood

    Darley House residential course, Matlock

  • I feel I gain so much about what I want to achieve as a colourist and a painter.

    Emma Bradbury

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • Colour saturation! Enjoyed getting such a good solid basis for the construction of a painting by reference to colour theory.

    H. Sorenson

    Observation to Abstraction, Headington Studio, Oxford

  • During the Body of Work course it made a real difference to be able to focus on a subject that fascinated me. It felt like a breakthrough in how to make art and I was gripped. The course changed my whole approach and has built my confidence no end.

    Jill Cherry

    Body of Work Personal Project online