There is no mistaking an Ellen Stimson picture … joyful, comforting, and revealing.

She sees the world through a female lens, and welcomes the viewer with her color play and wild rhythmic strokes that delightfully blur the sharp edges of reality. Inside-outside is a constant theme. Where are we? Always and never. Post-impressionist style with an unfinished, relaxed precision.

Ellen is also a NYT bestselling writer, she says, “I used to rearrange the alphabet, now I mix up paint to tell my stories.”

Ellen is also a master homecook with one cookbook (so far) to show for it. Her cooking informs her paintings. Or possibly the other way round. feeding friends and family colorful, beautiful and delicious meals that match her mountain, provencal, and beachy surroundings.

She creates pictures that are like her plates, filled with joy… and delicious. The small pictures for which she is best known are miniature worlds where Stimson upends the notion of size equaling power.

“Size sort of misses the bigger picture. Women have always known the secret of making home is creating the cozy. My small pictures aim to create an intimate and cozy relationship just like a good cocktail supper does. I love everything about making a happy juxtaposition of smells, tastes, and colors. Mixing up paint is just another way of cooking.”