An accomplished and award winning jewelry designer and goldsmith, Ellen earned a degree in Fine Arts from Indiana University, where she studied under Alma Eikerman. Ellen employs "the Danish method" of silver smithing : most creations are forged out of sheet metal by means of hammers and special anvils. "A blacksmith of the old days in miniature" is a good description of the way in which Alma Eikerman taught her students. Some of Ellen's creations may have over a hundred individual hammered pieces that are all soldered together. First groups of three, four or five pieces are soldered together, then, finally, all groups are soldered together into the final assembly. The bracelet pictured below, has over a hundred individually shaped pieces in it.....Other pieces are strictly forged and hammered out of sheet metal, like the sterling silver neck piece pictured. In her Senior year Ellen was offered a scholarship and a graduate teaching assistant ship. Then along came this tall handsome Dutchman, who swept her off her feet, promised her the moon and ,against her better judgment ,Ellen followed him to an uncertain future as an independent artist. Her career flourished in Indianapolis and in 1971 her work was part of the semi permanent display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in the "Objects and Crafts '71" show. In 1972 Ellen participated in the Louisville Art Center Association's "Regional Craft Biennial as well as numerous other invitational and juried shows among which the Southern Tier Invitational of 1973 stands out, as it became the possible gateway to a New York (and Tiffany's !) connection. In 1976 she was chosen as one of the Outstanding Graduates of the School of Fine Arts at the fiftieth anniversary of that institution. In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the School of Fine Arts, Ellen's work was represented in the "Bicentennial Craft Invitational " show of 1976 at the Indiana University Art Museum. While Rogier was traveling all over the States and Canada being "Mr. Amaco", Ellen set up and headed the first jewelry design/gold smithing department of the Indianapolis Art League. She continued to teach at that institution until 1980. When ,in 1980, Elias was born, the Donker Art School , Gallery and store in Broadripple were closed and Ellen and Rogier moved to the country to raise their son. Ellen's artistic career took a back seat to the raising of Elias. The last twenty years Ellen's professionally equipped studio is only used during the winter months, when there is very little work in the nursery and it is too cold to go out hunting or fishing! During those long winter months Ellen still designs elegant body sculpture as well as simple wedding bands , neck pieces and bracelets. All of Ellen ' s work is by commission only. Should you have a special request in the jewelry department, please contact Ellen !

When Mother Nature so rudely interrupted our lives 26 months ago Ellen was busy in her studio creating a beautiful ring for a client and dear family friend.  A large, white gold ring with a forged, hammered band and a linear design of gold pieces surrounding a rectangular green bloodstone. Prior to the flood Ellen had cut and polished the bloodstone and had made the bezel. She was about to forge the band when Mother Nature broke up the creative juice flow and replaced it with an extreme water flow… Now that the downstairs of the house is practically finished and she “has her life back”, she can once again do what she enjoyed doing BEFORE the flood. So Ellen is back in the studio working on Ed’s ring. Life’s good and getting better! Again…

Ed’s gonna like it there….

In between building the house and generally working her proverbial tail end off , Ellen still took time to create a ring for a dear friend.

March 22nd 2004
Now that the house has been "taken care of" (see flood update for gruesome details...) Ellen once again is playing "catch up" in her studio. It is really time for her to be working in the nursery, but things got kinda out of hand with the flood....Anyhow/who here's the result of what she was working on BEFORE the flood....All those little bitty pieces turned out quite nice once soldered together!  The clients were pleased....even if delivery was three months late....
 

....It is winter again and Ellen is being a goldsmith. Taking old gold
rings, she carefully cuts the rings up and re-shapes the pieces to create a
totally new ring. Here are some pictures of the process, cut short by the
rising waters....pictures of the flood that destroyed our home are elsewhere
on the site....

Elias' and Sara's wedding rings. Made by the mother of the groom, of course! :-)

A simple necklace

A retirement gift for a bishop

Hinged sterling silver bracelets

Forged and hammered necklace

Cross Ellen was making above.