Lee Ellis is a British multi-media artist based in Bristol. His insatiable desire to create brings him to embrace different artistic mediums, from printmaking to drawing and painting. The artist has an expressive and bold style, immediately striking with his unusual juxtaposition of bright colours and dark subjects. Lee’s paintings in particular convey an emotional and visceral angst within his figures. From humans to animals, the artist never fails to depict the inner turmoil of his characters. He achieves this effect by employing heavy, raw and expressive brushstrokes that make his painting style poignant and immediately affecting.

Lee graduated from the University of the West of England, where he studied graphic design in 2006. Disillusioned with the world of graphic design, he unleashed his artistic expression with abstract painting, developing, over the years, a personal and distinctive style.

Bankside Hotel x Contemporary Collective are thrilled to welcome portrait painter Julie Bennett to the Makers’ Studio as their summer Artist in Residence. In the studio from 21st June through 1st August, Julie will create a series of portrait paintings inspired by art icons who have influenced or inspired the artist’s life and practice.

Julie’s #BanksideArtIcons series will include a combination of both historical and contemporary art icons, in addition to a photoshop composite of the collection of art icons produced throughout the residency as a limited edition print available through DegreeArt. Painting both the famous and not so famous art icons, Julie hopes to provide the viewer with an insight into the artists’ lives from an educational and engaging approach. Overall, Julie aims to introduce viewers to the unknown faces of so many well known names of so many iconic artists.

Read the press release here