Ellen Heck is a printmaker. She often combines traditional intaglio processes (drypoint on copper, etching, and aquatint) with relief printmaking (woodcut and monoprint), though she is open to experimenting with anything that leaves a mark. She studied philosophy at Brown University and printmaking and painting at SAIC. For seven years, she worked as an artist in residence at Kala Art Institute. Now she prints at home on a bright orange, hand-cranked etching press.
Growing up in a household with an endless supply of art materials, Ellen was lucky to live in and around her mother’s studio, watching and eventually participating in the world of art licensing. It was in the studio that she first experienced the magic of technique while watching her mom scatter white clouds across a watercolor blue sky with only a Kleenex. To this day, she relishes the revelation that comes from lifting a print from the press and witnessing the result of a collaboration with chance.
Ellen has lived in eight states, but now calls North Carolina home. She enjoys reading children’s books, poetry, and pop science non-fiction, traveling, and spending time with her family.
