Ellen began designing in the mid ’90s. She opened a studio called Yellow Dot Studios. She worked with Alexandria businesses and restaurants painting murals, designing logos and doing pen and ink illustrations. Later she was the in-house designer at Thompson Publishing Group in Washington, DC for 8 years, designing book covers, marketing materials, direct mail and animated graphics and ads for the company website.

In 2005 she created the website ellensimages.com as a collection of photos and art for purchase. Ellen published commercial calendars for 2006 to 2008. In late 2007 she opened Yellow Dot Designs.

Ellen earned degrees in Painting and Printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and in Communication Design at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria.

Ellen grew up in Pittsburgh, PA but spent her teen years in Germany, where her father taught English at the University of Kassel. Along the way, she learned to speak German, French and Spanish.

Ellen is active in the business and arts communities. She has had memberships in AIGA, TIVA, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and other business groups. She served on the Alexandria Archaeology Commission for six years.

Ellen does screen-printing and block printing, and sells her printed items, art, books and more in her online shop, yellowdotshop.com. You can find Yellow Dot Shop at outdoor markets on Sunday mornings at Alexandria’s West End Farmer’s Market, and on Thursday evenings at Old Town North Farmer’s Market.

Ellen has written a book called, “A Scottish Migration to Alexandria.” The five year project is finally done, and the book will be published October of 2021, and can now be bought at yellowdotshop.com. “A Scottish Migration to Alexandria” tells the story of Scottish migration from the Lowlands of Scotland to Alexandria, Virginia. It features William Gregory, who migrated from Kilmarnock, Scotland to Alexandria in 1807.

Ellen lives with her husband in Alexandria, Virginia.