Ella Naper facts for kids

Ella Louise Naper (born Champion) was a talented English artist. She was known for making beautiful jewellery, pottery, and paintings. She lived from 1886 to 1972.

Ella Naper's Life and Art

Ella Naper was born in Charlton, London in 1886. She was one of nine children. Her father, Alfred Champion, was a fireman.

Learning to Create Art

From 1904 to 1906, Ella went to the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts. There, she learned many skills from a jeweller named Frederick James Partridge. She learned how to work with metal, wood, and enamel. Enamel is a smooth, glassy coating often used on metal.

Ella was very inspired by the Art Nouveau style. This art style uses flowing lines and natural shapes, like plants and flowers. She also admired the work of Charles Robert Ashbee, another famous artist.

Moving to Cornwall

In 1906, Ella moved to Branscombe, Devon. This is where her teacher, Frederick James Partridge, rented some cottages for his students. There, she met Charles Naper, who was an architect and painter. They got married in 1910.

The couple first lived in Looe, Cornwall, for two years. Then, they made their permanent home at Trewoofe in Lamorna. Lamorna was a special place for artists. Ella and Charles became active members of a group of artists called the Newlyn School. This group was known for painting scenes of everyday life and landscapes in Cornwall.

Ella's Jewellery and Pottery

Ella Naper worked from her home, creating amazing jewellery. She made decorative pieces using enamel and horn. Her jewellery designs included silver brooches, necklaces, and earrings. She also made combs and hair slides.

Her work often featured patterns of plants, flowers, and insects. These designs were usually in the Art Nouveau style. She sold her beautiful creations at various events. These included the Arts and Crafts Exhibition and the Woman's Art Exhibition. She also sold her work at Liberty's in London. After 1924, she sold pieces at the Newlyn Art Gallery craft exhibitions.

Working with Laura Knight

During the First World War, Ella Naper worked with another famous artist, Laura Knight. They designed several pieces of painted jewellery together. They also made enamel plaques, which are flat pieces of art. One famous piece they made was Two Dancers (1912).

In 1915, Naper and Knight showed their work in a joint exhibition. This show was held with Lamorna Birch at the London Fine Art Society.

Special Commissions

Ella Naper also received important requests for her art. She designed mayoral chains, which are special necklaces worn by mayors. She also created war memorials. One of her memorials is in Exeter Cathedral. She also designed a memorial for the artist Benjamin Leader in St Buryan's Church.

From the early 1920s, Ella Naper helped run the Lamorna Pottery. She worked with Kate Westrup and Emily Westrup. This pottery made beautiful items until 1935.

Ella as a Painter

Besides jewellery and pottery, Ella Naper was also a very good painter. She often used watercolours, which are paints mixed with water. She showed her paintings at the Walker Art Gallery many times. She also exhibited at the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers and the Royal Society of British Artists.

Other artists in Lamorna often painted Ella Naper. Her husband, Charles Naper, painted her. So did Ruth Simpson and Harold Knight. Ella was even a model in a painting called The Critics (1922) by Harold Harvey. She also worked with and was painted by the artist Gluck.

See also

In Spanish: Ella Naper para niños