A Curated Art Experience at Ello House

Natalie Papier

Natalie Papier of famed design studio Home Ec. was called upon to curate our art collection. Home Ec. has deep artist relationships in Charlotte and around the world from which she drew upon to enrich and inspire while complementing and enhancing Ello’s architectural and interior design.   Home Ec. is a multifaceted Chicago-born and now Charlotte-based design studio that spans commercial art curation, product design (Mitzi lighting and Mitchell Black wallpaper collections), interior design (Papier is the interior designer on Magnolia Network’s Artfully Designed on HBO), and book author (Papier & Sisco, Home Is Where the Art Is, Voracious, 2024).

Jules Lupacchino “Julu”

Juliana Lupacchino “Julu” is a fine artist, and color is her medium. Her practice focuses on the way colors communicate with each other and how they affect us—a celebration of beauty, color, movement, and human emotion. Murals and paintings are the primary vehicles through which she explores these themes. Her works are colorful, abstract, organic, and adventurous. Julu is a native of Savannah, Georgia. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017, with a degree in Fibers. During her time at SCAD, she explored both pattern development and material exploration through large-scale installation work. After graduating, she no longer had access to nice equipment and computers, so she started painting with her fingers. She loved working hands-on with the medium and believes that there is a sense of freedom when you leave the brush behind. Whatever she is creating, Julu’s works are intended to stimulate joyful feelings for the audience. Joy is a key element of all her work, which she expresses through color, shape, and scale. She has also lent creative assistance to brands including Howler Brothers.

Ivan Depeña

Ivan Toth Depeña is a Hispanic-American artist currently based in Charlotte, NC, after having lived and worked in Miami, FL and New York, NY. With a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Depeña’s artistic production is informed by his experience in art, architecture, technology and design, and encompasses a range of media. Depeña has been working increasingly in the public realm and maintains a rigorous, self-directed studio practice. He has exhibited extensively, nationally and internationally, in both solo and group exhibitions, including at the McColl Center, NC; Praxis NY, NYC; New Britain Museum of American Art, CT; Miami Art Museum, Frost Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. Depeña has recently completed large-scale public commissions in New York, NY; Denver, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Gainesville, and Miami, FL. His work is held in numerous public and private collections. Ivan has won Public Art of the Year for various projects from Americans for the Arts and the Public Art Network. In early 2014, he was awarded a prestigious Knight Arts Challenge Miami Grant for his proposal for a first-of-its-kind series of augmented reality public art projects throughout South Florida called “Lapse”. Depeña was also a finalist for the renowned Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Grants & Commissions program for Hispanic artists for 2017-2018. In addition, he received a nomination for the prestigious United States Artist grant in 2017.

Daniel Freaker

Daniel Freaker received his MFA from the Slade School of Art in London, where he explored the painterly qualities of print, video, film and photography. His paintings are reminiscent of film scenes and fragments of a broader narrative. His work has evolved through collaboration with other artists and years of exhibiting and lecturing in the U.K. and internationally, including at the British Museum in London, Dae Won University in Korea, and The Meera Gallery in Pune, India. When asked about the essential element in his work, he answered that “while the colors are often bright and beautiful, there is an underlying sense of exploring the human condition within the work. The narratives of the characters within the work are not perfect or idyllic in any way. Much like people are always searching for meaning, peace, and connection, the paintings try to support those journeys the audience has.”

Herb Williams

Herb Williams is an artist celebrated for his distinctive and large-scale crayon sculptures. He delves into themes related to childhood, nostalgia, and contemporary issues, employing crayons as his primary medium. Williams' work involves the creation of intricate and vibrant sculptures that challenge traditional art forms, transforming everyday materials into extraordinary pieces of art. His innovative approach and exceptional craftsmanship have earned him recognition and captivated audiences around the world. Williams received a BFA in sculpture from Birmingham-Southern College. While working at a bronze foundry in West Palm Beach, FL, he cast hundreds of sculptures with the atelier Popliteo and completed the last work of art by photorealist Duane Hanson. Williams then moved to Nashville, TN, where he has lived and created art since 1998. In 2011, he was sponsored by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He received his first public art commission in 2017, which was followed by commissions for a large-scale outdoor installation in Lubbock, Texas, and six larger-than-life sculptures for the International Concourse at the Atlanta airport. His artwork was featured at an inaugural art exhibit in Washington, DC, alongside Shepard Fairey. He also opened “Plunderland,” a walk-in room installation consisting of almost 500,000 crayons at the art gallery Rare in Chelsea. A collection of seventy sculptures and paintings was exhibited in Shanghai, China. Williams' multi-story graffiti paintings have been featured alongside internationally known street artists in the Nashville Walls Project. He is currently represented by galleries in Nashville, Laguna Beach, and Charlotte.

Ferney Mercado

Ferney Mercado is a dedicated firefighter based in Charlotte, NC, who has been serving the community for nearly a decade. Beyond his work as a firefighter, Mercado is also an accomplished artist and the founder of Char’d Urban Wood Works. He combines his firefighting career with his passion for art, specifically utilizing the traditional Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban, which involves charring wood to create unique and resilient pieces​​. His creations range from signature charcuterie boards to dining tables, all crafted with a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of wood and a commitment to sustainability​. Mercado's dedication to both his professions is evident in his ability to balance the intense demands of firefighting with his creative endeavors.

Patrick Puckett

Mississippi-born artist Patrick Puckett is known for painting portraits of figures with deadpan stares, culled from a life lived in the South. His paintings are recognized for their bold colors and languid figures, executed with confident interaction between paint application, shape, color, and texture. The works on paper emit intimacy, with more subtle features and evidence of the artist’s hand through drawn elements. The works on canvas command space, strength, and attention through scale, assertive brush strokes and color choice. He paints characters that are woefully out of sync with their surroundings: wedding-goers standing solemnly in a row; a lone man lost in thought amidst a lively crowd; a serious senior citizen holding a bouquet of flowers. Puckett lines up festive occasions such as barbeques, bars and beach scenes, only to call out their less amiable undersides. Studying under Professor James Meade at the University of Southern Mississippi, Patrick received his bachelor degree in fine arts in 2002. When he’s not painting, he works as a graphic designer, drinks beer, and listens to Elvis. In 2022, Puckett and his family moved back to Jackson, Mississippi, where he maintains a studio.

Seth Smith

Seth Smith is a Wichita native, born and raised. He attended the University of Kansas, graduating in 2003 with a degree in painting and printmaking. Following graduation, Smith moved to the Kansas City area where he now resides and works. Over the years, he has built up bodies of work in both abstract and representational styles, and he has collectors, both private and corporate, around the globe. Smith has been the featured artist at several national art shows and events. The Block World Headquarters, along with The University of Kansas Business School, have both acquired pieces of Seth’s artwork for their permanent collections.

Victoria Villasana

Victoria Villasana is a Mexican textile artist whose designs are inspired by her Mexican culture and heritage. She is a passionate advocate for the preservation of traditional Mexican textile art techniques and has exhibited her textile art works in various galleries around the world. Currently residing in Mexico after living in London for over a decade, she cites her experiences in these different cultures as inspirational to her work, describing her art as a “symbiosis of cultures.” Her trademark pieces, portraits embellished with yarn and pasted up on London streets, mix indigenous Mexican and Western art and deliver a healthy dose of rebellious femininity. The dynamism in her work also derives from the way the yarn is left uncut, bleeding over the edges of the pages, far below the frame, giving a surreal aesthetic.

Justin Ellis

Justin Ellis’ mixed media art is as rich in color, layers and technique as it is in imagination and meaning. Growing up in Charlotte, creating art was a family affair and Justin knew he wanted to pursue art, so he attended Northwest School of the Arts then Art Institute of Raleigh, Durham. Due to the cost of schooling, Justin began working side jobs related to art to supplement the tuition cost. On the fateful day of June 10, 2019, riots erupted in Charlotte, NC, over questions of equality. That day, he was asked to create window installations for The Brooklyn Collective windows ruined during the protests. Over the next two weeks, he craftily transformed them into an art gallery. With support, guidance, and space to create, Justin's art flourished, and he was offered a spot in The Brooklyn Collective as a resident artist. Justin’s style is ever-evolving but has signature elements that make his work stand out. He loves to mix mediums and materials to make unique compositions. These different combinations excite Justin and connect to what he loves most about being a creator: that he can always grow and develop as an artist. The freedom to interchange the styles, mediums, and colors he uses makes for endless possibilities and opportunity for improvement.

Elliana Esquivel

Elliana Esquivel is a self-taught artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. With a blend of traditional and digital mediums, her minimalistic line work aims to illustrate the psychological facets of the human experience. Having grown up a dual citizen of both America and the Philippines, Elliana's art style is greatly influenced by both her Southeast Asian and Western heritage. Throughout her career, she has illustrated book covers for publishing companies such as HarperCollins, Little, Brown and Company, and Faber & Faber. She has also designed album work for Universal Music Group and provided promotional artwork for the streaming service, Hulu.

Golsa Golchini

Golsa Golchini is an Iranian-born artist based in Milan, Italy. She began her artistic career as a photographer, but later moved on to blend it with painting after graduating from the Fine Arts Academy of Brera with a specialization in the department of Visual Arts. Golchini is widely recognized for her intricate, miniature, and realistic paintings, often created on unconventional mediums such as her own hands. By using her body as a canvas, she adds a unique dimension to her work, allowing the medium to enhance the narrative and emotional depth of her art. Her pieces are characterized by vibrant colors and meticulous details, with many of her playful compositions gaining life through their interaction with her physical form. Her impasto paintings often depict tiny figures in huge landscapes, evoking a sense of solitude and introspection. These miniature worlds pulse with dynamic energy, capturing the viewer's imagination and drawing them into the artist's intimate creative space. “My artworks are my way of communicating with the observer about the things of everyday life that we all have in common. Things we do, objects we use, emotions we feel. These actions depicted in my artworks are very simple like the cardboard they are drawn on. My aim is to immerse the observer into the work and make him/her see the world and everyday actions in a different way.”

Adrienne Brown-David

Adrienne Brown-David was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where her artistic journey was nurtured from a young age. Encouraged by her grandmother, who saved paper grocery bags for her drawings, Adrienne spent her childhood creating art in various forms, from sidewalk chalk drawings to soap carving. Recognizing her passion, her mother facilitated her artistic growth through classes and museum visits, further fostering her talent. After a foundational year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which significantly influenced her artistic development, Adrienne taught art in St. Louis before moving to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. In St. Croix, Adrienne's art evolved as she absorbed the rich cultural tapestry and scenic beauty of the island, which was distinctly different from her life in the mainland U.S. This period marked a significant shift in her work towards portraiture, capturing the essence of the local people and her surroundings. After getting married and starting a family, the innocence and experiences of her children became central themes in her art, highlighting the pure, often overlooked narratives of black childhood. Her work passionately argues that black childhood deserves the same recognition and celebration as that of any other community, emphasizing the importance of preserving these fleeting moments of innocence and freedom through her paintings. Now residing in Mississippi with her husband and four daughters, Adrienne continues to explore and document the transformation of her children from playful youths to young women. Her recent works reflect both the struggles and beauty of growing up, characterized by natural expressions, cultural symbols, and a deepening exploration of identity. Adrienne's art not only captures moments but also challenges and redefines perceptions, advocating for the dignity and complexity of black youth in America.

Sharon Dowell

Sharon Dowell is a painter with a focus on works on canvas, murals, and public art. Intertwining themes course through her work: the energy of place, renewal, and redemption. She believes that creative placemaking communicates distinctiveness and generates connections across communities. Therefore, it is important for her murals and public art to serve as a vehicle to give back and shape communities for the better. She holds an MAAA from Winthrop University and a BFA from UNCC. Dowell art consults for McColl Center for Visual Art among others, curated for Gallery c3 at Alchemy, served as an Adjunct Professor and Rowe Galleries Coordinator at UNC Charlotte, and directed the Center of the Earth Gallery. She was a TedX Charlotte speaker in 2014 and frequently lectures. Her notable commissions include large-scale murals and transit projects in cities like Chicago, Boulder, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Rock Hill. Dowell has participated in various artist residencies worldwide and has received multiple grants from the Arts & Science Council (ASC). Her work is part of numerous corporate collections nationwide. “Made By” features over 750 names of consultants and partners who contributed to Ello’s development, alongside abstract elements that symbolize architecture, connection, and building community. This imagery enhances the welcoming atmosphere of the community, making it inviting for both residents and visitors. The artwork's themes and visual elements are designed to complement the overall feel of Ello House, emphasizing the importance of community and the appreciation of shared experiences.