Artwork by Ellen C. Raines will open the 2025-26 Bradley Gallery series at 51ĀŅĀ×.
An opening reception will be held at the Bradley Gallery on Lakelandās Sheboygan County campus on Friday, September 19, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through October 24.
The Bradley Gallery is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, when Lakeland is in session.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wis., Raines could draw before she could write. Growing up, art class was her favorite. Her father was a recreational artist and would let her use his vintage pencils and charcoal, and different types of paper. In high school art class, one of her pieces was selected to be displayed in the Quarles and Brady building in downtown Milwaukee.
While attending Milwaukee Area Technical College, the animation department was developing a way to merge the animation program with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee film program. Raines was attending both schools at the time when they chose to use her curriculum as the blueprint for other students to gain a four-year degree.
She has been doing digital art since 2020 and has had solo shows around the state of Wisconsin. That same year, she came up with an idea of blending puns and visual art together in a play-on-word style.
It started with a blue apple, testing what her art tablet is capable of. She drew a blue apple with beautiful texture and realism. However, it was blue, not a natural color for the humble fruit, she titled it BRUISED APPLE, going on the play-on-word style that to bruise meaning to be black and blue and the fact that apples do form bruises. The play-on-word style (POW art) was under way and now she has over 100 pieces made in the first two years of starting.
Her animated short film āDream Escapeā (2011) was a winner at Silicon Valley Awards and MY HERO International Film Fest and was an official selection for the Rumschpringe Short Film Festival.
Her 2012 screenplay āThe Next Time Minutesā was a winner at the Honolulu Film Festival, Indie Gathering Film Festival and L.A. Comedy Festival.
Raines has an associate degree in applied science in animation from MATC and a bachelor of fine arts in film from UW-Milwaukee.
Learn more at or on her Instagram account at @AnimatedSpirit.
