EDUCATION

1998  University of Montana, Missoula, B.F.A. Painting
1996  Lacoste School of the Arts, Lacoste, France

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024 One Week in January, Nationale, Portland, OR
2022  Only Children, Hang Tight, Gallery 16, San Francisco, CA
2022 What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, Montana Western Fine Arts Gallery, The University of Montana Western
2020  Transmundane Tuesdays, Nationale, Portland, OR
2019  Carson Ellis: Selected Works, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA
2018  La Vista, Nationale, Portland, OR
2016  Galactic Alienology (with Hank Meloy), KSMoCA, King School, Portland, OR
2015  Home, Nationale, Portland, OR
2014  Inside Wildwood, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
2012  Mush, Mush, The Sloping Midnight Line, Portland, OR
2010  Dillweed’s Revenge, Nationale, Portland, OR
2008  Melodies Rhapsodical and Fair: The Art of the Decemberists, The Helzer Gallery at PCC Rock Creek
2005  Works in Pen and Ink, Motel, Portland, OR
2002  Recent Work, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022  Original Art Juried Show, The Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
2022  33rd Annual Children’s Illustration Celebration, R. Michelson Galleries, Northampton, MA
2019  Illustrated Animals in Conversation, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
2019  Spaceness, The Sou’Wester, Seaview, WA
2017  Penselen at the Rijksmuseum, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2015  Le immagini della fantasia, traveling exhibition, Italy
2014  People’s Biennial, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI
2013  I See What You Say, Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
2009  Songs from the Treetops, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
2005  The New Naturalists, Giant Robot, San Francisco, CA

AWARDS & HONORS

2024 Finalist for the Betty Bowen Award / Special Commendation Award, administered by the Seattle Art Museum
2019  Annual Educators’ Night keynote speaker, Eric Carle Museum
2018  Grammy Nomination: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
2018  The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis/German Children’s Literature Award (Germany)
2017  Caldecott Honor, The American Library Association
2017  E. B. White Read-Aloud Award, The Association of Booksellers for Children
2017  Best Picture Book from Gremio de libreros de Madrid (Spain)
2017  The Silver Palette Award (Netherlands)
2017  Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award for Best International Picture Book (China)
2016  Grammy Nomination: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
2015  California Young Readers Medal, intermediate category
2015  Gold Medal, Parents’ Choice Awards
2015  Home selected as an NPR best book of 2015
2014  ICON8 featured conference artist
2014  Silver Medal, Original Art, The Society of Illustrators
2012  Society of Illustrators Original Art Show juror
2011  Decatur Book Festival keynote speaker (with Colin Meloy)
2010  Silver Medal, Original Art, The Society of Illustrators
2010  Featured Artist, Art Beat, Portland Community College
2006  Featured Artist, Oregon Art Beat, Oregon Public Broadcast

BOOKS FOR ADULTS

2024 One Week in January, Chronicle Books

BOOKS FOR CHlLDREN

2020  In the Half Room, Candlewick Press
2017  Du Iz Tak?, Candlewick Press*
2015  Home, Candlewick Press*

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AS ILLUSTRATOR ONLY

2022  This Story is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Sève, Random House
2021  What is Love? by Mac Barnett, Chronicle Books
2019  The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, Candlewick Press*
2019  The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid by Colin Meloy, HarperCollins
2014  Wildwood Imperium by Colin Meloy, HarperCollins
2012  Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy, HarperCollins
2011  Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy, HarperCollins*
2010  Dillweed’s Revenge by Florence Parry Heide, Harcourt
2009  Stagecoach Sal by Deborah Hopkinson, Hyperion
2009  The Beautiful Stories of Life by Cynthia Rylant, Harcourt
2009  The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket, HarperCollins
2007  The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, Little Brown*

*New York Times bestsellers

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2019 Virginia Quarterly Review, fall issue: Bedtime Stories (contributor)
2018  Zoetrope all-Story, fall issue (guest designer)
2018  A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader  edited by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick (contributor)

PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS

2024 52’ x 8’ mural at Arbor School of Arts & Sciences; an all-school collaborative project led by Betsy Walton and myself, West Linn, OR
2013  50’ x 10’ mural funded by Regional Arts and Culture Council and North Portland Neighborhood Services, St. Johns, Portland, OR

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2017 – 2020  taught inmates as a volunteer art teacher with Family Preservation Project, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Wilsonville, OR
2010 – 2013  co-led a 12 week drawing workshop for teens with Dana Dart McLean, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

SELECTED ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN CLIENTS

Criterion Collection
The Decemberists
Focus Features
Laika
The New Yorker
The New York Times
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Penguin Random House
Portland Parks Foundation
Portland Trail Blazers
Sleater Kinney
Warby Parker

GALLERY REPRESENTATION

Nationale, Portland, OR
R. Michelson Galleries, Northampton, MA

SELECTED PRESS

Shapton, Leanne. "Nature Doing Its Thing: Carson Ellis, Interviewed by Leanne Shapton." The New York Review of Books, April 23, 2022
Handy, Bruce . "Slumber Parties: New Picture Books for Bedtime." The New York Times, November 6, 2020.
Ruzzier, Sergio. "New Picture Books Create Strange but Believable Worlds." The New York Times, October 7, 2016.
Lithgow, John. "Emily Jenkins’s ‘A Fine Dessert,’ and More." The New York Times, March 11, 2015.
Sykes, Claire. "Carson Ellis." Communication Arts, 2015.