A Special Kind of Something Painting

Ellis King is a British figurative artist whose paintings consider what it means to live as a woman today. Working between realism and abstraction, she uses colour, gesture and form to explore intimacy, strength and the quiet moments that shape identity. Her work moves between personal narrative and collective experience, giving space to stories that often sit beneath the surface of everyday life. After rediscovering painting in 2019, King has built a practice recognised for its emotional depth and feminist perspective. Her work has been exhibited across the UK by Thompson’s Gallery (Aldeburgh; Mayfair) Clifton Fine Art (Bristol) and Prince & Pilgrim (Richmond). She was selected to appear on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year (2025), exhibited at the Mall Galleries with ING Discerning Eye (2025), awarded the Square Feet Gallery Exhibition Prize and shortlisted among the Final 22 for the Women in Art Prize (2025), as well as named one of 100 Emerging Artists by Arts to Hearts Project (2024). Working from her studio in Norwich, King continues to explore how painting can give voice to women’s experiences—both seen and unseen– and paintings are held in private collections across the UK, Europe, Canada and America.