Hey, welcome to my website! Let me introduce myself, my work, and what this site’s all about.
Who I Am
I’m Ellie, nice to meet you! I’m 21, I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, and I’ve loved creating art for as long as I can remember. Depending on where you’re from, you might think it’s a bit unusual to be raised in Sin City, but it’s a lot more unusual that I was homeschooled all the way from K-12! But that didn’t mean I lacked art opportunities. If anything, it opened up more possibilities for me to express myself and really lean into my passion for art.
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do once I graduated, so I leaned into that passion even further and decided to pursue an art degree. I got my Associates of Arts at the College of Southern Nevada, and from there I absolutely fell in love with college life and all of the opportunities it provided. So, once I graduated, it was only natural for me to transfer to the University of Nevada—Las Vegas! College definitely isn’t for everyone, but a big part of why it was for me was the way it launched and continues to spur on my career as a professional artist.
What I Do
Growing up, I always did small commissions here and there for family and friends. I even got into a couple of small local exhibitions and galleries (if you want to know specifics, go look at my resume that’s linked at the end of this blog). Those were great and all, but they really weren’t getting me anywhere. Then came my capstone class at CSN: Portfolio Emphasis. This class focused on teaching students how to build a resume, apply for shows, and get their art out in the world. Calling it life-changing would be an understatement!
One of our projects was applying to a mock version of the Clark County ZAP! Project, and I did pretty well on it. So, when the actual call for ZAP! 11 opened up soon after, I figured “why not”? I took the same approach to an opportunity presented by the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas: the Diversity in Art mural scholarship, a full-ride scholarship for a Bachelor of Arts at UNLV. Much to my surprise, I got both! These were two key resume projects for me, so the rest was history.
How I Do It
While this site primarily serves as my portfolio, my goal with this blog section is to delve deeper into my process and speak from my experiences. My goal is to help anyone who was in the same position as I was a couple of years ago: looking for art opportunities without a single clue where to start. What I write here should serve as a useful starting block for you to jump from. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me via Instagram DM or my contact form, it’s not just for commission inquiries!
Ellie Cat Art 