Ella Stouse is a painter and printmaker from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work centers on figuration and mythology, using storytelling to explore personal conflict and contemporary social dynamics.

She is currently pursuing a BFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), with an anticipated graduation in May 2026, and is an alumna of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (2022).

Stouse has exhibited work at Gutstein Gallery and ARTS Southeast in Savannah, as well as at Laundromat Art Space in Miami. She has also participated in multiple SCAD Fine Arts Showcases at Alexander Hall. Her work is held in the permanent collection at SCAD. Her work has been featured in Suboart Magazine and Happenings Magazine. In addition to her studio practice, she has worked as a painting monitor at Alexander Hall and served as an artist assistant to Nicole Charbonnet.

My work examines the power structures that shape our society, along with the behavioral patterns and personal conflicts that unfold within them. Fairytale like narratives serve as the vehicle through which I explore these contemporary social dynamics, allowing familiar storytelling frameworks to carry complex and often uncomfortable themes.

Drawing from the tone and structure of traditional fairytales and folklore, I alter, combine,and invent narratives that reflect present day experience. Rather than retelling specificstories, I use the archetypal language of fables transformation, hierarchy, consequence, andmorality to question how authority operates and how individuals navigate systems of cotrol.

Animals frequently appear as central figures in my work. Their presence makes the imagery feel approachable while engaging with colder or more difficult subject matter. By introducing a layer of symbolic distance, they invite reflection without diminishing the emotional weight of the themes explored. Through this interplay between familiarity and tension, I create images that appear gentle at first glance but ultimately confront the structures and conflicts that shape contemporary life.