About The artist

Mary Ellen Riell grew up in the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. As a teenager she studied at the Art Students League in New York City and continued her education at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Brooklyn College. As an undergraduate she mentored with painter Sam Gelber and sculptor Sylvia Stone. She earned a Masters in Education with a studio concentration in screen printing from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY in 1994.

Mary Ellen is a recipient of top awards in both watercolor and pastel, including Grand Prize in the Cooperstown Art Association's 79th Annual National Exhibition, Best in Show at the Laffer Gallery’s Annual Upstate Artists Exhibition in 2012 and, most recently, the Adirondack Pastel National Silver Award.

Exhibiting since 1995,  Mary Ellen has participated in over 100 exhibitions throughout the Northeast. She is a current member and former co-director of the Oakroom Artists.  Her pastel landscapes, watercolors and prints are found in private and corporate collections.