When we got the call that a mother wanted to bring in her daughter to get some of her artwork framed, my immediate thought was that we were going to get a little girl’s artwork that had been in a local art show, and they wanted to frame it to keep it as a keepsake. When I tell you I was blown away by the sheer talent that came through in the artwork that Ella Grace brought in, I’m truly not doing her any justice as pictures do not capture the quality and detail. The more I spoke to Ella and her mom during her initial visit, the more I was fascinated by this little girl that was standing in my design room.
Ella Grace is an 11-year-old artist, entrepreneur, actress, jewelry maker, designer, filmmaker, ballroom dancer, activist, singer, athlete, comedian, and philanthropist. Did I leave anything out? Now I know you are already blown away just by the sentence prior to this one, but let’s dive deeper into all of Ella’s many hats that she wears in which she showcases her amazing talents.
Ella has been creating artwork for as long as she can remember. Inspired by her mother’s sketchbooks from high school that were found in her garage, Ella knew that she wanted to be able to draw just like her mom. Ella took a virtual art class during COVID, but quickly realized she needed an in-person teacher. With the help of her mom, Ella became acquainted with Deb Pettigrew, a local artist in Brevard County, who also specializes in the medium that Ella loves to work with: pastels! Not only is Ms. Deb an artist, but she is also a seamstress and has helped Ella bring her fashion designs to life!
Given that Ella has completed over 50 pastel paintings, picking a favorite is pretty difficult. However, one of her top favorite picks that she has completed is entitled “Schmidnight”, a portrait of her pet mice with an ode to their names “Schmincke” and “Midnight”. “Schmincke” is named after the pastel brand from Germany because Ella loves to use their white pastel stick and “Schmincke” was little and white. Ella’s mom has a favorite as well: the polar bear family. Having named all of the animals in her art, the mama polar bear is named “Mama Everest” as she is like the mountain protecting her cubs “Angel” and “Saint”.
Ella began her Broadway journey at the age of 2 and made her Broadway debut at age 5 starring as Lulu in The Broadway Tour of Waitress. Ella has also starred alongside many esteemed actors and actresses including Adam Sandler in “Hubie Halloween”, Heather Graham in “Chosen Family”, Chris Klein, Amy Poehler, and John Stamos. She also stars in the Netflix drama “Sweet Magnolias” and has acted in multiple commercials for various big-name brands such as Disney, Hasbro, Gerber, and Marriott. In 2019, American Family Insurance highlighted Ella’s personal entrepreneurial story with her business, Ella Bella Beads, and her charitable efforts to combat child hunger — all while chatting with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.
Ella’s accolades are tremendous and awe-inspiring. She became the youngest recipient of the Sara Fuller Scholarship from Film Florida and Women in Film and Television in 2023. This scholarship helped her make her third film and her first ever music video. She became the youngest artist member of the Brevard Cultural Alliance to ever have her work juried and approved to display as part of the Art in Public Places program. Ella was named Best In Show in November 2024 at the 6th Annual Brevard Children’s Business Fair. She won first place at the 2024 Space Coast Art Festival in the 3D/sculpture category for grades 6-8 for a piece of wardrobe she created called “The Towel”. Did I mention that she is only 11?!
Ella also gives back to her community through various fundraising efforts! She is a highly sought after singer for the national anthem at many events. Started at the age of 4, her jewelry brand, “Ella Bella Beads”, helps to fight children hunger in her local community. Proceeds from each purchase go towards this effort. So far, she has raised thousands of dollars for The Children’s Hunger Project where she also volunteers her time to pack food weekly. Ella is also expanding her philanthropic paths to what is called “artivism”. Her goal is to use her art to raise funds to give back to organizations that empower youth ambassadors to educate and prompt change around the pressing issues facing our planet. As part of this effort, Ella graduated from the Ocean Heroes Networks’ boot camp in 2021 where she accompanied other youth from around the world learning about their power to educate and affect change through grass-roots campaigns. The Ocean Heroes Network has since rebranded and is now known as the Planeteer Alliance HQ.
Ella participates in many local markets and art events, but she is also a debut artist at The Sweet Heartist Gourmet Cookie Co. where she has jewelry, art prints, notecards, bookmarks, and more available for purchase! She also takes commissions, so if you like what you see, be sure to send her a request for your very own artwork!
Given the wide array of talents that Ella is blessed with, of all of them, her favorite is being an actress. As an artist, Ella has had to overcome not liking something she was creating and wanting to stop in the middle of its creation. She had to learn to tell herself that it wasn’t done yet, to not give up, and to finish it. For up-and-coming artists, Ella’s best advice would to be draw what you actually see and not what you think you are seeing.
Ella enjoys traveling to California for her acting work as it feels like her second home. While there she always makes sure to go hiking which her mom has labeled “mountain medicine”. In her downtime, Ella enjoys watching movies, playing video games with her friends, coding her own games, and going rock climbing with her dad.
And naturally, I had to ask Ella the typical question that all kids get asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For Ella, being an actress is something she would like to keep doing as she gets older. She also wants to own her own production company so she can make her own projects. She also envisions being in more musical movies. Her love for sewing has instilled a goal of having her own sustainable fashion line. Finally, her love of animals, as exemplified in her beautiful artwork, has fueled her passion to be a zookeeper.
With her drive, talent, dedication, and determination, I don’t think there is anything Ella can’t do! We are thrilled to have Ella on board as a customer and look forward to an amazing 2025 showcasing her talents in different print forms. Be sure to check out her website and social media!
Website: https://www.ellagracehelton.com/#/
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