In 2007, while living in Atlanta, GA, Ellie Harold discovered northern Michigan. Thrilled with what she found, she was very pleased to win a national competition to serve as the 2009 Artist in Residence at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. A former R.N. and Unity minister, Ellie moved to Frankfort to pursue her art career full-time.Ellie is a prolific oil painter who works both outdoors and in her studio producing both representational and semi-abstracted landscapes. Largely self-taught, her color-filled paintings reveal the influence of Edward Hopper, Wolf Kahn, and Emile Gruppé and may be found in collections throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Ellie’s art was featured in the May, 2013 “Women2Women Michigan” magazine, and was also selected by TOSCA magazine as Michigan Artist of the Year. One of her paintings is included newly published The Art of Sleeping Bear, (Leelanau Press, 2013). In addition, Ellie has authored her own book, 7 Habits of Deeply Fulfilled Artists: Your Aesthetic Needs & How to Meet Them, (Clear Light Press, 2012). She also offers artist mentoring and painting instruction and leads workshops.