Marrian Johansen-Ellis

Mariann Johansen-Ellis was born in Denmark in 1962. She spent her childhood on her grandparents' farm, surrounded by animals and nature; with the sea a short bicycle ride away, she had a happy childhood that has influenced her work to this day. Her grandfather expressed these surroundings in intricate woodcarvings, and with her mother very involved in various form of craft practices, she knew from an early age that the creative field was where she felt at home.

In 1989 she moved to the south of Spain, having fallen in love with the dramatic beauty of its countryside. This move turned out to be a major turning point in her artistic career as it was here she discovered printmaking.

Mariann was mainly self-taught, with some periods of time spent under the tutelage of various painters and printmakers, notably Mary Eisman and Luella Ramsey. Starting out as a painter it was clear to Mariann, after her first contact with printmaking in 1989, that this was her medium. She has primarily been creating etchings and original prints since then.

Mariann lived in South East Asia (Brunei) since 1999 and Singapore from where she is also a part time printmaking instructor at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI). She has collaborated with Sunbear Publishing in Singapore, creating a series of illustrated children's books to illuminate the plight of endangered species.

 "My work is about pleasure, the pleasure of the unexpected, the undiscovered, the things that remind you that life is simple, even though sometimes tinged with sadness or regret, it is still about the dreams and the feelings that we all share, no matter how different we think we are. In a world that constantly changes I feel that happiness is a commodity in shorter and shorter supply and if I can, by using touches of humour in my work, make you smile, and open your heart to these pleasures, I have been successful. Essentially, my work is about being happy in the here and now, a task that can be the most difficult of all."