Bio | Ellen Cooper

Ellen Cooper has enjoyed an extraordinary career as a portrait artist of distinction. Highly regarded by her peers as well as collectors, her canvases have hung in museums, and are represented in many private and institutional collections. Her work has garnered over twenty national and international awards in just the last few years, including the First Place and People's Choice awards at the Portrait Society of America's International Portrait Competition.

Her dedication to perfecting her art stems from a passionate love for painting and commitment to the tradition of portraiture. With boundless energy and poise she meticulously approaches each subject with a well-honed eye and flawless draftsmanship. But it is her understanding of paint, color, form, and light, coupled with her ability to visualize people's character, that gives her work a sense of being more than just accurate renditions; her paintings seem to reflect a living truth about each subject.

She and her work have been featured in many publications including International Artist, The Art of the Portrait, and American Art Collector. Her award winning painting "Marmee's Garden In the Snow" was featured on the cover of Artist's Magazine in 2011. Her non-commissioned painting Judy was part of the Inspiring Figures: American Women and Figurative Art at the Butler Institute of American Art, where it hung alongside paintings by American icons such as Cecilia Beaux and Mary Cassatt.

Ms. Cooper was educated at Tyler School of Art and Temple University where she received her BFA (summa cum laude) and MFA (magna cum laude) degrees. Her pursuit of mastery led to further study under contemporary portrait painting masters. This process of continuing education has resulted in an expansive knowledge of the portrait, which she in turn shares with her own students in the art of painting. Ellen Cooper has achieved Signature Status with the Portrait Society of America. She lives and teaches and mentors in the Philadelphia area.

For all of her success and accolades, Ellen Cooper remains fully grounded. She is a very real, down to earth person; a characteristic that plays an important role in working with her subjects to enable them to "be themselves" when sitting. Ellen's commissioned work is diverse and includes family and children, as well as distinguished corporate, judicial, medical, academic, philanthropic, and governmental leaders.

To view a select list of collections please click here.