Ellis King (b. 1989) is a British figurative painter based in Norwich, UK. Working primarily with the female figure, she explores the emotional and psychological realities of womanhood — from identity and inequality to resilience, vulnerability and the quieter experiences of private life that are often absorbed, minimised or left unspoken.

Working in oil and acrylic, King brings the literal and the semi-imagined together, building recognisable figures while allowing the space around them to dissolve. This creates a tension between the physical world and the interior one. Domestic spaces are central to her most recent work. Bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and other familiar environments become psychologically charged, holding traces of memory, emotion and private life. Rather than illustrating a particular story, the figure becomes a way of holding what has happened, what is being felt and what remains unresolved.

King has exhibited widely across the UK. In 2025, she was selected for the ING Discerning Eye exhibition at Mall Galleries and appeared on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 12). She was also awarded the SQFT Gallery Exhibition Prize at the Women in Art Prize, leading to her debut London solo exhibition at SQFT: Space Gallery in 2026. In the same year, she was runner-up in the inaugural Well Hung Painting Prize.

King has worked with established galleries including Thompson's Gallery (London & Aldeburgh), Prince & Pilgrim (Richmond) and Clifton Fine Art (Bristol). Her work is held in private collections across the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States.

Enquiries: hi@ellisking.co.uk