Paintings by Rose are classically inspired, with a modern flair.
Rose Ellis says “English is not my first language, art is. I finally found my inner, playful voice while we were all locked up and alone.” Rose has made a whole new narrative using folded paper and found objects as a springboard. Her figures are imaginatively combined to create “stories.” Colorful, whimsical, realistic still lifes that are anything but still. Rose attended Kendall School of Art and Design but earned her studio art degree from the University of Michigan. She plays with her oil paints in her home studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her cats, Mucha and Monet supervise closely.
Rose’s Artistic Statement
The first time I folded an origami dog in my studio, I realized the potential of the stories I could tell. While I would classify my paintings as still lifes, they are anything but still. Some authors know what their stories are going to be before they begin writing, I find that my stories fall into place as they unfold. My creations are meant to be full of whimsy and joy. They inspire my imagination and I hope they do for the viewer as well.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025 Saugatuck Art Traders Gallery, Saugatuck, MI
2018 Mercy Health St. Mary's Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
Artist’ Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
2017 Artist’ Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
2016 Artworks, Big Rapids, MI
Artist’ Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
2015 Artist’ Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
2012 Richard App Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
1997 Gallery Arcadia, Grand Rapids, MI
1995 Shibui Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
2023 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
2022 “93rd MI Contemporary Exhibition” Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
2021 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
2020 39th Annual MI Fine Arts Comp (2nd Place)
2019 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
Festival of the Arts, Grand Rapids, MI (Best of Show)
2018 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
Artist’ Studio, Grand Rapids
2017 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
Cascade Gallery, Ada, MI
2016 Synchronicity Art Gallery, Glen Arbor, MI
Cascade Gallery, Ada, MI
2015 Button/Petter Gallery, Douglas, MI
Cascade Gallery, Ada, MI
2014 Button/Petter Gallery, Douglas, MI
Cascade Gallery, Ada, MI
2013 Button/Petter Gallery, Douglas, MI
Cascade Gallery, Ada, MI
2012 Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL
2011 “National Juried Small Works Show” Windsor Arts Center, Windsor, NY
Cape Fear Studios, Fayetteville, NC (Best of Show)
Richard Low Evans Gallery, Blue Ridge, GA
2010 Forest Tanner Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL
2006 “Echoes of Classicism,” Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI
1996 Desert Art Source, Palm Desert, CA
Gallery Arcadia, Grand Rapids, MI
1993 West Michigan Regional Art Show, Lowell, MI (Best 2-D)
Windsor Arts Center, Windsor, NY (National Juried Small Works Show) 2011
Selected Collections
Pamella DeVos, Vice-Chair, Whitney Museum of American Art, NY
Hiroshi Koizumi, President, Toyama Cultural Association, Japan
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI
Betsy DeVos, FormerSecretary of Education, USA
Grand Valley State University, Multiple campuses, MI
Mercy Health, MI
Warner, Norcross & Judd, L.L.P, Grand Rapids, MI
Richard DeVos, Founder, Amway Corporation, Ada, MI
William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI
Spectrum Health, MI
Hascall Steel Inc., MI
River House, Grand Rapids
Prince Manufacturing, Zeeland, MI
Mr & Mrs AAron Blasius, Chicago, IL
Mr and Mrs Stegman, Barryton, MI