Lorna Ellis

Lorna Ellis née Trengrove (1903 – July 1981) was a New Zealand sculptor and ceramist. Her works are held in the collection of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Education Ellis attended the Wellington Art School for three years, at that time attached to the Technical College.

Art career Ellis was one of the first women in New Zealand to become a full-time commercial artist, and she drew mostly newspaper advertisements and illustrations for the Goldberg Advertising Agency until 1928 when she married. Her family commitments allowed little time for art until after the end of World War II. Ellis was encouraged to return to art by the Thursday Group, of which she was one of the eight foundation members in 1952. This group met on Thursday evenings for many years to draw from life. She was one of the longest serving members. Ellis was a contemporary of artist Juliet Peter, and attended Saturday afternoon drawing sessions at Helen Barc's apartment, alongside George Woods, E. Mervyn Taylor and Douglas McDiarmid. Ellis also worked alongside potter Roy Cowan.

Sculpture work After reading about cold-cast bronze sculpture in a book but being unable to find a tutor in this technique within New Zealand, Ellis went to England in 1958 to learn from sculptors there. She mastered the technique and brought it back to New Zealand. Ellis was commissioned to produce a sculpture of Peter Field, Frances Hodgkins's nephew and guardian of the Field Painting Collection.

Notable exhibitions

Sculpture exhibition featuring 50 sculptured heads and ceramic pieces at the Dowse Art Museum, 1976. 1981 Caltex Art Award for Representational Painting, Sculpture and Drawing Exhibition. Ellis' grandson, designer Adam Ellis, credits her with inspiring his creative journey, and has fond memories of sculpting with her in her home studio.