Ella Starling is a portrait and figurative artist living and working in Pembrokeshire, Wales. She studied Drawing at Falmouth University, where she developed a practice rooted in emotional enquiry. Now working predominantly in oil paint and previously in pen, watercolour and charcoal. Ella combines fine detail with expressive mark-making to capture depth and emotion in her subjects. Her work often uses portraiture to explore experiences that are difficult to articulate through words, engaging with themes of mental health, motherhood and contemporary global events. Alongside portraiture commissions, another strand of her practice draws on botanical illustration, often weaving symbolic flowers into her figurative work to add layers of meaning and storytelling. Ella currently teaches Life Drawing in St Davids, creating a welcoming space for people to develop their observational and figurative drawing skills. Her current work focuses on motherhood, exploring nuanced and diverse representations that challenge the idealised narratives often found in visual culture. This forms part of her project Raising Her Voice: A Collective Portrait of Motherhood. The work will be presented in her first two solo exhibitions: 15–30 March at Oriel y Parc, St Davids, and 15–22 April at Span Arts, Narberth. Stay updated by getting in touch at ella.t.starling@gmail.com or 07942342178, and follow her work on Instagram @ellastarlingart.