FAYBEL (ELAINE NESBITT)

ARTIST BIO

Ellie Nesbitt (FAYBEL), a self-taught, figurative, fantastical, gallery and cover artist working in the digital medium, resides in Canada. Addled by osteoporosis and multiple spinal compression fractures, Ellie paints in the supine position for meditative and expressive release.

Inspired by a collection of unpublished, fairytale narratives, Ellie’s paintings feature compelling details finessed with floral and fantastical motifs. Her portraits are sensory symphonies and textural delights, distilled from tactile experiences and memories on the autism spectrum.

Her work was long-listed for the Women United Art Prize in 2023 & 2024 and was in High Art Competition's Top 150 in 2024. She was selected for inclusion in Infected by Art Vol. 13.

Ellie was a cover artist for Bourbon Penn. A member of the Beautiful Bizarre Artist Directory, her paintings have been inspirational entries for the magazine’s art prize. Ellie’s works are published in 365 ART + Magazine, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Infected by Art Book, Women United ART MAGAZINE, and Marvelous Art Magazine & book. She has showcased at Nanny Goat Gallery, Gallery Nucleus and The Exchange and has had exhibitions with online and local artistic communities: Curio Art Gallery, The Gallery, Marvelous Art Group, Concept Art Association and Women United Artist Directory. She is currently running print series with Quirky Fox Gallery and iCanvas.

Along with group exhibitions and a solo showcase at Mahtay Café & Lounge throughout 2025, Ellie is acting chief editor and cover artist of a special issue of 365 Art + Magazine. She has assembled eight professional artists for a first digital painting exhibition of its kind to help promote the digital medium in galleries and the fine art world.


ARTIST STATEMENT

My health has always been a diabolical thing, like that of Mexican surrealist and portrait painter, Frida Kahlo. In 2022, my vertebrae fractured spontaneously, crushing my spine by three inches. I had severe, undetected osteoporosis at the age of 29 and 50% of my bone mass was unequivocally lost. Frida’s endurance and perseverance are an inspiration to my own.

I am a figurative digital painter specializing in imaginative realism, fantastic art, contemporary portraiture and surrealism. Memories and daily conversation color my pieces. Lack of social comprehension, from being on the autism spectrum, drove me to portraiture. My immersion in fantasy media began with fairytale tellings from my grandmother, who was a traditional acrylic painter.

A collaborative opportunity for artists, with podcast to literary direction, JESSO, is a dream I am in perusal of, an initiative intended as a resource for skills progression and philosophical thought, a primer for self and style discovery, entangled with interviews from industry professionals. The JESSO project is intended to uplift the creative community and provide emerging artists with the essential tools to design and find career-forming opportunities as well as to help pioneer digital painting in the gallery setting worldwide. The mission of JESSO has evolved into an active collective of 8 digital painters, assembled to help drive digital into the fine art world. Artists are inspiring visual storytellers that encourage emotional connectivity and expression, promoting self-discovery and a sense of community. I am an artist to give back to my family, to support my creative friends and discover opportunities for recovery.

My works are painted in the supine position with a suspended monitor. I use digital mixing techniques on textured art surface, then embellish with traditional mediums: gallery pieces are custom framed as giclée prints on watercolor fine art paper.