Contemporary Icon

Ellen Dreibelbis is attracted to everything from the cracks in the sidewalk to 14th century Russian icons. Because she loves to paint people of all races, the San Francisco Bay Area's rich, ethnic mix has been deeply inspiring for her. Ellen paints people because she believes that within the human figure lies a universal quality of oneness, something we can all recognize and resonate with. As Ellen goes about her daily activities she takes note of faces that fascinate her, taking care to remember details such as the particular way light falls across a person's head.

Ellen currently resides in Oakland, California, and her work has been featured in several museum and gallery shows.