Jessica Ellis, Artist

I live and work in Denver, Colorado and love my city. There are a lot of beautiful things that I find in my own backyard (literally!) and in my home state that I love to collect and turn into beautiful treasures. I also collect findings in my travels. I create artwork and jewelry using natural found objects including bones, insects, crystals, and botanical specimens. I love the process of collecting and finding beautiful overlooked natural objects that can become a treasure to someone. I always find things in their natural state and never harm or kill anything to create my work. When I am not creating my artwork I spend my time with my husband and our two kittens. I study science and do research for fun and I think in another life I would be a botanist, an ornithologist, or an astrophysicist.​​
 

I am inspired by the wildlife dioramas at the Museum of Nature and Science, natural history in general, collections, taxidermy, antiques, curiosity cabinets, forests, animals, botany, David Wilson's Museum of Jurassic Technology, photographic theory, Roland Barthes, Susan Sontag, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Gregory Crewdson, Doug and Mike Starn, research, science, the people I love.