BHS junior, Ella Ambroggio has been an artist for as long as she can remember. Ambroggio, who specializes in oil painting and charcoal drawing, creates realistic, polished art. Using alluring colors she brings elegant faces and beautiful nature scenes to life. 

As young as four, Ambroggio could be found sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor creating giant pieces of art sitting She still remembers her first masterpieces. 

“My parents would buy me these huge pieces of paper and they would give me a bunch of markers and I would just scribble everywhere and make little creatures,” Ambroggio said.

To Ambroggio, art is a transmitter of her energy.

“I try to make the images have a nice chill flow,” Ambroggio said. “I like to think my art holds a colorful and relaxing energy.”

Ambroggio displays her recent work for friends and family on her Instagram account: @ells_art_account. Ambroggio also uses Instagram as an outlet for inspiration. 

“If something inspires me I’ll paint it,” Ambroggio said. 

Her grandmother, Lillian Ambroggio, is an oil painter by trade and has always encouraged her grandchildren to pursue art and to follow their passions. Ambroggio uses the oil painting techniques taught by her grandmother to this day. When in the middle of a project she can still hear her grandmother’s advice.

“Every time I paint a tree,  I’m like, ‘light on the outside, dark on the inside. Do your leaves first,’ that kind of thing,” Ambroggio said.

Ambrogio often practices from reference images.  She finds this a good way to improve her technique and to try and make it more her own. Ambroggio uses multiple pictures as references so she isn’t just copying others’ artwork.

Ambroggio finds purpose and pleasure in creating especially during the long months of the pandemic.

“It was nice to get to work on myself that much,” Ambroggio said. “I was able to improve when I didn’t have anything else to do.”

Ambrogio dreams of becoming a tattoo artist.  After watching tattoo competition shows and seeing how much fun the artists have, she is inspired to go into this male-dominated field. 

“There are not a lot of female tattoo artists that are on a high level and I would love to try and become one,” Ambroggio said.