Ella Balkwill, originally from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, now resides near Paris, Ontario. She has studied at the Guelph School of Art, Alton Mills Arts Centre, Elora Centre for the Arts and the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Co Mayo, Ireland.

The defining feature of Ella’s immersive art lies in its ability to provide the viewer with a multi sensory environment. On top of the visual aspects of her paintings, immersive art such as cold wax and oil painting integrates a blend of olfaction and tactile sensations. She invites viewers to thoroughly explore by touch and to enjoy the fragrance in the artwork as it evokes fond childhood memories of wax crayons and colouring books. Cold wax and oil is her medium of choice and periodically she will add charcoal, ink or even authentic Irish peat ash. She is also an avid gardener which expands her creativity into new realms of abstract colour combinations. Many of her pieces sing with intense saturation of colour and light with ideas taken from her garden.

She thoroughly enjoys the freedom of abstract art in this medium as adding the different layers, scraping back and reapplying, adds mystery to the outcome as she creates. There is never an expectation to the finished piece as there is no limit to the many nuances that emerge when painting from her imagination. The simplest of compositions sing with underlying intricacy and passion.

Ella’s body of Abstract Expressionism is created to effect peace and calm, to inspire and heal. Cold wax and oil medium is enticingly organic, tactile, and invites our touch.