Artist

Ellen Christiansen is a London-based figurative sculptor whose work is rooted in close observation and formal modelling from life. She studied at Chelsea and Camberwell art schools, graduating from Camberwell with a BA (Hons) in 1986.

Ellen works exclusively from life in clay, using a method informed by the ‘pointing’ technique traditionally used by stone carvers. This approach was adapted for working directly from the live figure and passed on to her by her Camberwell teacher and mentor, Brian Taylor FRBS. Ellen has since developed the technique in her own distinctive way, with further influences including Rodin and Degas. She has established an international reputation for her uniquely precise and exacting approach to both portraiture and the figure.

Ellen has exhibited with the Society of Portrait Sculptors and has been a member since 2011. Her prizes include the Heatherley Prize 2023, selected by Nicola Hicks for the best work in the Society of Portrait Sculptors exhibition, and the Founders Sculpture Prize 2015, a prestigious biennial award administered by the Society of Portrait Sculptors on behalf of the Founders’ Company.

Ellen's drawings, paintings, and sculptures are held in private collections across the UK and internationally.

"Many hours with my model allows me to get to know them physically and mentally. I see the surface as a by-product of the internal forces at play. A portrait is about stillness and the world of the sitter, both physical and emotional. They relax into their non-performative expression. With my figure work it’s more about movement. I often adapt poses after a while as I begin to understand the unique tension and energy in any given pose.”