Ellen Draper Chadwick

Ellen Draper

Chadwick

Ellen Draper Chadwick, of Chadds Ford, PA and Sulphur Well, KY, died peacefully on Thursday, August 8th at home after a long battle with ovarian cancer at the age of 67.

Daughter of Ford B. and Katharine R. Draper, Ellen was married to Robert Chadwick for 27 years.

She attended Tower Hill School, Foxcroft School, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and continued studying art in Rome, Italy where she lived for nine years and traveled widely around the world. She moved from there to India where she lived for two years before moving to Kentucky.

Painting was her passion. Ellen was a fine artist. She said, "In each painting I have at least two layers of meaning in mind. Using symbols as metaphors I juxtapose images to evoke an illusory environment that invites any number of interpretations. Aiming for tension between ambiguity and definition, real and surreal, three dimensional and two dimensional, vulnerability and strength, I recombine such symbols as maps, feet, snakes, or figures to imply questions of identity, loss, personal inquiries, journeys, psychological states, humanity, conundrums, or myself."

Each year she loved attending the painting workshops of Katherine Chang Liu in South Carolina, California, New Mexico and Arizona where she made many like-minded and life-long friends.

In the last years of her life Ellen and Bob put all their energies into lovingly restoring their home in Chadds Ford, maintaining its historical integrity and surrounding it with extensive plantings. She was able to enjoy it before her death, and was still brimming with ideas for the gardens.

Ellen was pre-deceased by her parents and her sister Avery Draper. Aside from her husband Bob, Ellen is survived by her sisters Katharine Draper Schutt of Chadds Ford, PA; Reeve Draper of Wilmington, DE; Prue Draper Osborn of Unionville, PA; and brothers Ford B. Draper, Jr. of Chadds Ford, PA and Jim Draper of Alexandria, VA, as well as her beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews and her much loved dog Ponty.

Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delaware Hospice, 3515 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810.

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