Born in 2002, Ellie Davies is an oil painter whose practice explores the liminal space between human and animal, merging mythology and folklore with scientific inquiry. Working through surreal, narrative driven imagery, she draws on ecology, geology, and anatomy to blur the boundaries between 'fact' and 'fable', using myth as a framework to examine the relationship between the body and the natural world.

Raised in a remote rural landscape of mountains, lakes, and forests, Davies developed an early fascination with dark fairy tales and nature's unfiltered presence, an influence that continues to shape her work. Her paintings depict hybrid figures inhabiting uncanny, often sentient landscapes informed by personal memory and collective archetype, with animals recurring as symbolic companions and occasional self insertions.

Ellie Davies earned her BA in Fine Art Painting from the University of Brighton in 2024. Since graduating, she has exhibited with leading contemporary art institutions including Delphian Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, Mall Galleries and CA Contemporary. In 2024, she was awarded the Mawddach Graduate Residency and was nominated for both the Freelands Painting Prize and the University of Brighton Graduate Award.

Her work has been featured in major publications including Tate Etc. (Issue 64, Winter 2024) and Frieze (Issue 247), and she has collaborated with publishers such as Page Street Publishing Co., with her paintings selected for book covers. Ellie currently lives and works in The Lake District, Cumbria.

'Delicate' is inspired by a hand-coloured engraving by William Home Lizars. Recently, I've been exploring anatomical imagery, seeking ways to merge it with the folkloric and superstitious themes that often characterise my work– blending fact with fable. I frequently blur the lines between animal and human forms, and in this exploration, I sought to create a character that embodies a certain disquiet. Yet, does the presence of a tail and wings truly outweigh our instinctual tenderness towards infants?

I chose the name 'Delicate' for this character, as, despite its unsettling appearance, I imagine the wings' skin as fragile, and the tail soft enough to wrap gently around a finger.

Ellie Davies