Ellen Rosanne Meissinger

Ellen Murray Meissinger passed away on October 4, 2025. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, to
William Don Murray and Sarah Elliot Murray, she received her BFA and MFA from the University
of North Carolina Greensboro. Ellen began her teaching career at Oklahoma State University in
1971, where she taught until 1986, leaving to take a position of Professor of Art at Arizona State
University School of Art to oversee one of the largest programs in the country dedicated to
watercolor and other water-based media. Ellen also taught countless workshops and served as
a juror on many exhibitions. One of her favorite experiences was teaching several summers
with the ASU Summer Program in Florence, Italy. Besides her explorations along-side her
students in this important Renaissance city, she formed warm, lasting relationships with other
local artists, curators, and residents.
While primarily known for her vibrant, large-scale watercolors of reflective objects, flowers, and
patterns, her early explorations included many works of neon and assemblage. Her concern and
research into the sustainability of natural resources, particularly water, led in 2006 to the
creation of a large mixed-media installation in the historic Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy,
during the 40 th year commemoration of the devastating 1966 flood in Florence that destroyed
and damaged countless priceless works of art and manuscripts.
Exhibiting both nationally and internationally, she was the recipient of numerous awards and
honors. A member of the National Watercolor Society and the Watercolor USA Honor Society,
Ellen's work hangs in numerous museums and private collections. She touched the lives of
thousands of students who passed through the ASU watercolor lab where she was still teaching
at the time of her death.
Ellen leaves behind her husband, Lonnie Meissinger; two sons, Logan Meissinger and Jordan
Meissinger; three grandsons, Aidan Clark-Meissinger, Paxton Meissinger, and Keaton
Meissinger; and close family member, Jenilyn Clark. A Celebration of Life is planned within the
near future.
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